^9ss^ ^^^ 




Oass 
Buck 




IIKI(;(.KN. OtitHGK A. L«lllHAM 



BOOK 01- lil()(iRAI>llll:S 



I 111.^ \ <)l I Ml cnN I \|NS 



Biog^raphical Sketches 



IjiADINCi ClTIZI;NS 



OF" inn 



THIRrV = SH\nMH Jl DICIAL DISTRICI 



im:n:>.sn i.\ ama. 



ltioKriipli\ IS Ihi- iinl\ true hisinry." riiicr.*on. 



IIKX.KAnilCAI. ri ULISHINC. COMI'ANY. 
Okokuk KuJiMiiNK. I'rr«.. S, llAHwr.N Sr.rv. S<t> C K Aknoli>. Trcai. 
Ill KKAIO. N. Y. CIIICA<. 
IHHI. 



PREFACB 




"AVING brought to a successful termination our labors in the Thirty-seventh 
Judicial District in compiling and editing the sketches herein contained, we 
desire, in presenting this Book of Biographies to our patrons, to make a 
few remarks, necessaril}' brief, in regard to the value and importance of local works 
of this nature. We agree with Ralph Waldo Emerson that "Biography is the 
only true History," and also are of the opinion that a collection of the biogra- 
phies of the leading men of a nation would give a more interesting, as well as 
authentic, history of their country than any other that could l)e written. . The value 
of such a production as this cannot be too highly estimated. With each succeeding 
year the haze of Obscurity removes more and more from our view the fast disap- 
pearing landmarks of the past. Oblivion sprinkles her dust of forgetfulness on men 
and their deeds, effectually concealing them from the public eye, and because of the 
many living objects which claim our attention, few of those who have been removed 
from the busy world linger long in our memory. Even the glorious achievements 
of the present age may not insure it from being lost in the glare of greater things 
to come, and so it is manifestly a duty to posterity for the men of the present 
time to preserve a record of their lives and a story of their progress from low 
and humble beginnings to great and noble deeds, in order that future generations 
may read the account of their successful struggles, and profit by their example. A 
local history affords the best means of preserving ancestral history, and it also 
becomes, immediately upon its publication, a ready book of reference for those who 
have occasion to seek biographical data of the leading and early settled families. 
Names, dates and events are not easily remembered by the average man, so it 
behooves the generations now living, who wish to live in the memory of their 
descendants, to write their own records, making them full and broad in scope, and 
minute in detail, and insure their preservation by having them put in printed form. 



vi - PREFACE 

We firmly hjlievo that in these collated personal memoirs will he found as true and 
as faithful a record of the Thirty-seventh Judicial District as may be obtained 
anjwhcrc, for the very sufficient reason that its growth and development are identi- 
fied witli that of the men who have made her what she is to-day — the representative, 
leading men, whose personal sketches it has been a pleasure to us to write and 
give a place in this \olumc. From the time when the hand of civilized man had 
not yet violated the \irgin soil with tlesecrating plough, nor with the ever-ready 
frontiersman's ax felled the noble, almost limitless, forests, to the present period of 
activity in all branches of industry, we may read in the histories of the district's 
leading men, and of their ancestors, the steady growth and development which has 
been going on here for a century and a half, and l)ids fair to continue for centu- 
ries to come. A hundred years from now, whatever records of the present time 
are then extant, having withstood the ravages of time and the ceaseless war of 
the elements, will be \iewed with an absorbing interest, equaling, if not surpassing, 
that which is taken to-day in the histor)- of the early settlements of America. 

It has been our purpose in the preparation of this work to pass over no phase 
or portion of it slightingly, but to give attention to the smallest points, and thus 
invest it with an air of accuracy, to be obtained in no other way. The result has 
amply justified the care that has been taken, for it is our honest belief that no 
more reliable production, under the circumstances, could ha\'e been compiled. 

One feature of tliis work, to which we have given special prominence, and which 
we are sure will prove of extraordinary interest, is the collection of portraits of the 
representative and leading citizens, which appear throughout the volume. We have 
fried to represent the different spheres of industrial and professional activity as well 
as we might. T<j those who have been so uniformly obliging and have kindly 
interested themselves in the success of this work, volunteering information and data, 
which have been very helpful to us in preparing this Book of Hiographies of the 
Thirty-seventh Judicial District, we desire to express our grateful and profound 
acknowledgment of their valued services. 

CiiKACd, III., .August, 1899. the publishers. 



NOTE 

All the Biographical sketches .pubhshed in this voUiine were 
submitted to their respective subjects, or to the subscribers, from 
whom the facts were primarily obtained, for their approval or 
correction before going to press ; and a reasonable time was 
allowed in each case for the return of the type-written copies. 
Most of them were returned to us within the time allotted, or 
before the work was printed, after being corrected or revised ; and 
these may therefore be regarded as reasonably accurate. 

A few, however, were not returned to us ; and, as we have 
no means of knowing whether they contain errors or not, we 
cannot vouch for their accuracy. In justice to our readers, and 
to render this work more valuable for reference purposes, we have 
indicated these uncorrected sketches by a small asterisk (-), placed 
immediately after the name of the subject. They will all be 
found on the last pages of the book. 

BIOGRAPHICAL PUBLISHING CO. 



Book of Biographies 

thirty-seventh 

judicial district, 

PENNSYLVANIA 




SAMLEL TATE NEILL. 



Book of Btographles 



Thirty = Seventh Judicial District. 




^eTT;; A^MUEL TATE NEILL, late a 
//^ prominent lawyer of the Thirty-scA-- 
enth Judicial District of Pennsylva- 
nia, was born at Neillsburg, Venango County, 
(now Forest County), Pa., July i6, 1841, and 
died August 4, 1896. 

In August, 1865, he graduated with high 
honors from Jefferson College, after which he 
studied law for one year, in the office of his 
brother, J. A. Neill. in Warren, Pa. The last 
portion of his period of study was spent in the 
office of L. C. Cassidy, in Philadelphia, after 
which he was admitted to the bar, June 2. 
1868. In 1S63 he became a private in the 
Pennsylvania state militia. I*"rom December, 
18^8, to June, 1883, he resiiled in Titusville, 
Pa., and from that time until his death, his 
home was in Warren. Besides a gratifying 
amount of ]iractice in his profession, both in 
local and supreme courts, he successfully en- 
gaged in the oil business, the period of his 
greatest activity in the latter Inisiness being 1 



from 1868 to 1869. In 1870, he began to 
confine his energies to professional duties. 
As a lawyer he stood in the foremost rank. 
His store of knowledge of the law w^as abund- 
ant, and he was a tireless worker. For years 
he took an active interest in politics, not car- 
ing to hold office himself, but desirous of help- 
ing those of his political belief in their con- 
tests for places of honor and trust. 

A prominent attorney who knew Mr. Xeill 
well said: "There was no better equity law- 
yer in this part of the state than Mr. Neill. 
His untiring industry, and fertility of re- 
sources, were characteristic. No attorney at 
the Warren County liar was better posted on 
law in all its branches. He had more knowl- 
edge of decided law, or case law, than any one 
I ever knew. He was a perfect encyclopedia 
on the subject, and was frecpiently consulted 
by other attorneys. At the time of his death, 
his practice in Warren and adjoining counties, 
nas not exceeded bv that of auv other attor 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



ney at our bar." He enjoyed to a marked de- 
.S^ree the respect and o'ood will of liis lej^'al 
brethren. 

He was married, June 15, 1871, to Julia 
Laura Sinclair, of Philadel])hia, and bis wife 
and two children sur\i\e bim. His (laus^bler, 
.Annie Laur;i. is the wife of Cbristv l'a\ne. an 
attorney of ( )il City. I'a.; and liis sun, William 
Cunningham Xeill. a graduate of rrinccton, 
was admitted to the bar a short time prex'ious 
t(.) bis father's death, .and has taken up ])rac- 
tice in \\';u'rcn — a sketch of his life ;tppear.s 
on another i)age c;f this \olumc. 

The high esteem in which Mr. Neill was 
held by his colleagues at the bar is attested 
by the following' resolutions passed by them: 
"To the honorable, the Judg'es of the Court of 
Common Pleas of Warren County: During 
the early hours of the fourth of August, last, 
the members of the l'>ar Association were 
shocked by the sad intelligence that one of 
their munber, Sanuiel T. Xeill, had on the 
morning of ibal clay, suddenly died at Cape 
.May, New Jersey, to which ])lace he hatl gone 
with wife and daughter, for a few davs of rest 
and recreation. .\l a special meeting of the 
Bar Association, held the evening" of August 
5th, 1896, the undersigned were aiipointetl a 
committee to prepare and present to the 
court a suitaljle minute to be entered on rec- 
ord, attesting the respect of the members of 
tlie association for the memory of Mr. Xeill. 
and their appreciation of bis character as a 
man, and his ability as a lawyer. I'ursuant to 
such appointment the committee presents the 
following minute: 

"Mr. Xeill was admitted to the 1 ar of War 



ren County in 1868. In 1883, he Ijecame a 
permanent resident of Warren borough, and 
thenceforth to the time of bis death, he was 
an acti\-e practitioner in this court, liis na- 
tive abilit}-, aided by his remarkable memory 
of decided cases, and su])plemented by mUir- 
ing industry in tlie study and practice of the 
law, gave him ,-i prominent position at the bar, 
and made him ;i xaluable colleague and a for- 
midable antagonist. He serxed his client 
with all good fidelity, and relaxed no effort in 
his belialf, until .all legitimate resources were 
e.xliansted. 

"A gentleman in manner, he was coiuieous 
to the court and members of the bar. and 
rarely, even under trying provocations, did he 
exhibit irritability of temper, or indtdge in 
vituperation. He harbored no malice. He 
spoke unkindly of none. He was ever ready 
to recognize what was meritorious in his fel- 
low members of the bar. and equally ready to 
make allowance for their frailties. He appre- 
ciated, and acted upon, the truth that his suc- 
cess at the l)ar was dependent on his own 
merit, and not on the depreciation of the mer- 
its of rivals in the profession. He was a good 
citizen. His voice and influence were on the 
side of good order, obedience to law, and 
whatever tended to elevate the standard of 
right li\-ing", and i)romote the safety, thrift 
and happiness of the community where he 
resided, and he was alwa\'s hostile to whate\er, 
in bis judgment, tended to corrupt social life, 
or degrade citizenship. 

"He was a professed Christian and he con- 
scientiously sougiit to li\'e a life in harmony 
with his profession. In the death of Mr. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



Neill the Bar Association recognize the loss 
of a worthy member, and as a token of respect 
for Ills memory, rec|ticst your Honors to order 
this minute to be entered on liie record of tlie 
Court. 

"Respectfully submitted, 

"William 1). Brown, 
"Charles Dinsnioor, 
"W. E. Rice, 

"Connnittee." 
In respect to his social character and the 
manner in which he was esteemed by his 
friends in the private walks of life, a friend 
has written the following: "Mr. Xeill was 
one of the founders of the Shakespeare Club. 
To ^Ir. and Mrs. Neill is rightly credited the 
initial impulse which resulted in the organi- 
zation of that club, and from the first meet- 
ing, at which he presided, until the final meet- 
ing of the last season, attended by him, he 
was always in his place, unless jirexented by 
illness or imperati\'e business aft'airs. and en- 
livened the meetings l)y his jiresencc, and in- 
spired others l.)y his enthusiasm and enjoy- 
ment. 

"From time to time, he was urged to ac- 
cept the ofifice of president of the club, but 
always, with characteristic modesty, declined; 
his genial disposition, however, his great 
learning, his overilowing Inunor and sweet, 
charitable spirit, made him. in pri\ate station, 
a most conspicuous figure, lie was alwa\s 
interested, and always alile and ready to per- 
form the hardest tasks in a scholarly and ac- 
ceptable way. To every individual member, 
he was a valued friend, and to the club a sup- 
port and an ornament. 



'He was a scholar and a ripe and good one; 
'Exceeding wise, fair-spoken and persuading. 
'He hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been 
'So clear in his great office, that his virtues 
•Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued.' " 

The publishers of this vohmie take pleasure 
in announcing" that a portrait of Samuel Tate 
Neill accompanies the above sketch, being- 
presented on a preceding page. 



§.\Ml':S E. GILSON, an esteemed citi- 
zen of Barnes. Sheffield township, 
Warren County, Pa., is a descendant of 
one of its pioneers. He was born in the vil- 
lage in which he still lives October 20, 1845. 
?Ie is a son of John and Fidelia Gilson and 
grandson of John Ciilson. John Gilson was of 
Scotch descent, and came to America, locat- 
ing for a short time in Olean, Cattaraugus 
Count V, New York. While there he framed 
a house and rafted it down the Allegheny Riv- 
er until he reached the place where Warren 
is now situated. There he landed his house 
and built the first frame residence where the 
town of Warren now stands. 

John (iilson, father of James E., was born 
in Genesee County. New York, and accom- 
jianied his father on his memorable trip down 
the river with his house to Warren. About 
1830 he helpeil to survey Sheffield township. 
He purchased a large tract of land at four and 
one-half cents an acre and built a grist mill, 
the first one ever Iniilt in that section. Subse- 
quently he also built a saw mill, and kept a 
small country store besides. Later he devoted 
all his time to lumliering anil milling, oper- 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



ating both saw and grist mills, and tluis occu- 
pying the closing years of his life. He was the 
owner of several iiundred acres of land, from 
which he rafted timber down the Tionesta 
Creek to Pittsl)urg markets. He assisted in 
building the old turn])ikc. 

He very liberally donated the ground not 
only for the cemetery and school building hut 
also for the church, fieing a literary man. 
he took an unusual interest in educational af- 
fairs. His first home, a log house, was built 
near the place now occupied by the depot, but 
later he built a hotel, and his last davs were 
spent in the residence now owned by ]\[r. 
Doyle. Though well advanced in years, he 
never grew heljiless, but was very active up to 
the time of his last illness, which resulted in 
his death, at the age of eighty-nine years. He 
served many years as school director and in 
other minor offices, being a Democratic in- 
cumbent. He was a devout Christian, being a 
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
and was also a trustee for the Warren Acad- 
emy. For his life companion he chose Fidelia 
Ball, a daughter of Isaac Ball, and they were 
parents of the following family: Electa; Ru- 
fus; John, who died young; Curtis; Sarah: 
George, who enlisted in the Union .\rmv in 
Company H, loth Reg.. Penn. Vols., and was 
killed in the seven days' battle of Gaines' Mill: 
Jane; Carver; Gilbert; Patience: Martha. 
and John. James E. Gilson attended the i)nb- 
lic schools, after which he assisted his father 
in lumbering. During many years he was oc- 
cupied in running rafts down the creek, and 
thus became an expert pilot. 

After the discoverv of oil in that district lu 



turned his attention to that, and has since de- 
voted his time to building derricks and bridges 
and drilling oil wells. He has built two houses 
at Barnes, the Snap house and his own resi- 
dence, both of which show marks of skill. 
Xancy Maria W'hitcomb, daughter of Luther 
W'hitcomb, became his wife. 

Euther W'hitcomb was a fanuer and lum- 
berman of Shcrtield township, where he dieil 
in his eighty-seventh year. His widow stil! 
survives him and is now residing at Barnes, 
at the age of eighty-three. She is a sister of 
Thomas Farnsworth. whose sketch also ap- 
pears in this publication. She and her hus- 
band were the parents of the following chil- 
dren: Laura M.; Lucy ]\L: Louisa; Xancy 
I.; Luther D. ; I\L-iriette W.; Xancy M.; 
Wilson; Robert M., and Phoebe. 

Mr. Gilson and his estimable wife are them- 
selves surrounded Ijy the following children 
and grandchildren: Clyde, Martha, Mary and 
Lena. Clyde is a contractor of oil wells of 
Sheffield. He married Maud Farnsworth and 
has one son, Merrill. Martha is the wife of 
Ellsworth Barnes of Erie. Pa. They have one 
son, Ellsworth La\erne. Mary is the wife of 
William Marley of Kane. Pa. Their children 
are fi\'e in number: Hazel: Martha; James; 
Grace; and Florence. Lena is a successful 
dressmaker at home. Our subject has a war 
record worthy of mention. He enlisted in 
1863 in Battery H, 3rd Pa. Light Artillery, 
and served until the close of the war. In poli- 
tics he is a Prohibitionist, and believes whisky 
to be the curse of the human race. He is a 
member of the G. A. R. Post of Sheffield, Pa. 
The familv fa\or the M. E. church. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 




HOMAS FARNSWORTH, Sr., one 

jf tlie most ])i"oiiiinciU fanners and oil- 
prodncers of Slieftield township, enjoys 
tlie distinction of jjcing^ the oldest citizen in 
the vicinity of Say1)rook. Warren Connty, Pa. 
He was born in Cayuga County. X. Y., ]\Iay 
26, 1833, and is a son of Thomas and Nancy 
(Herron) Farnsworth. .\t the age of nine 
years Thomas was started out to make his own 
living, as his mother was left a widow with 
a large family of children. He found employ- 
ment at packing shingles, which he contin- 
ued to do until he had reached the age of 
twelve \ears, when he Iiegan to drive a double 
team (four oxen) used in drawing logs. By the 
time he had reached manhood he had passed 
through all kinds of work connected with 
lumbering, and fuially became a contractor of 
jobs to clear the timber from tlie mountain 
sides. 

He sought for his life-companion Malvina 
Corwin, of Bradford, Pa. He and his bride 
settled down in their rude, forest hijuie and 
began life in a primitive manner. By strict 
economv they accmnulatcd enough money to 
bu\- the old homestead, where tlicy settled 
and continued to carry on the lumber busi- 
ness until 1868. They were then al)!e to pur- 
chase the Dunham farm, consisting of i_'3 
acres, which is their present residence, al- 
though they still own the homestead property. 
Thev have remodeled the buildings, con- 
structed new barns, slicds for m;ichinery. 
stock, etc.. and now have a fnie \alley farm, 
which is splendidly stocked with 13 choice 
milch cows. 30 iiead of sheep, live dr.aft horses, 
and a number of fine stock hogs. 



About 1883 a new era of prosperity and 

good fortime came to Mr. and Mrs. Farns- 
worth. Oil was discovered on his farm, and 
since then 22 producing wells have been put 
down on his premises, sex'eral of which he 
owns, besides being interested in 32 others. 
Air. Farnsworth has lived in his vicinity 
longer than any other man in it, and has won 
for himself, during his self-made career, a 
name cjuite worth}- of a prominent ])lace in a 
history of the county. 

Thomas Farnsworth. his father, was also 
born in Cayuga County. X. Y.. where he was 
engaged in farming until iSAi.when he moved 
to Warren County, Pa., purchasing at that 
place 300 acres of forest land in Cherry Grove 
and Watson townshi]5s, which is the home- 
stead now owned by his son. He began the 
laborious task of clearing and preparing this 
land for cultivation, and had so far succeeded 
as to have 30 acres cleared, when he con- 
tracted a cold which produced inflammation 
of the lungs. This resulted in his death, when 
he was just in the ])rime of his life, aged for- 
tv-five years, and left to the care of his faith- 
ful companion a large family of small child- 
ren, all of whom she has lived to see grow to 
noble manhood and womanhood. Her life, 
it seemed, was si)ared for this noble purpose 
and well did she fulfill this mission. She 
passed to her final rejiose when she had 
reached the age of eighty-three years. Their 
familv were as follows: Lorinda, now Airs. 
Whitcomb of i'.arnes. Pa., aged eighty-three 
vears; Joseph; Polly; John; Josiah; Nancy; 
Thomas, subject of this writing; Phoebe; Cyn- 
thia, and James. Only three of this large fam- 



18 



BOOK OK BIOGRAPHIES 



ily are known to lie living to-day. They are 
Lorinda, Thomas and James. When last 
heard of, Nancy was also living. 

Tliomas Farnsworth and his faithful and 
industrious wife were also Messed with 
the numerous family of ten children: 
they are named: Chase, Charles. Wilson, 
Cynthia, Phoebe, Luther, Anie, IMaud, Thom- 
as A., and Katie. Chase is an oil pro- 
ducer of Sheffield townshii), and married Net- 
tie Taite. Charles is also an oil producer. He 
was twice married, his first wife being Carrie 
Rogers, now deceased; she bore him one child. 
Chase. His second wife was Nettie Cleve- 
land, and they have one child, Dorothy. Wil- 
son is foreman of the Crew, Levick &; Co., oil 
concern. He married Tillie AlcNulty, and 
they have four children: Roy, Mary, Harold, 
and Frances. Cynthia is the wife of F. Hil- 
dum, and the mother of two children, Eu- 
gene and Pearl. Phoebe is the wife of Daniel 
Aley of Carnegie, Pa.; they have four children, 
Gordon, Ruby, Raymond and Carrie. Luther 
was accidentall}' shot and killed while yet a 
boy. Anie is a successful teacher in the pub- 
lic schools of Naugatuck, Conn. ]\faud is the 
wife of Clyde Gilson of Sheffield. Pa., and 
they have one son, Merrill. Thom.is A. is still 
at home, as is also Katie, who still enlivens 
the scene of her childhood. 

Thomas Farnsworth cast his first vote for 
James Buchanan for president of the United 
States, but since that time has affiliated with 
the Republican party. He has held office in 
Cherry Grove tcnvnslii]i. as school director, 
supervisor, etc., and in Shcfiield township, as 
school director, town commissioner, and col- 



lector. The family are willing workers in the 
Methodist Church. Our subject is a valued 
member of Warren Lodge, L O. O. F. liis 
sons arc also all members uf the I. (). O. !•". 




OX. ZACHARY T. WEAVER is one 
if the l)est known and most popular 
citizens of North Clarendon, as well 
as of Warren County, Pa., as his recent elec- 
tion to the honorable position of associate 
judge will amply testify. Judge Weaver's suc- 
cess in life is an ai^t illustration of what a 
young man can do by i)erseverance and hon- 
orable effort. He was born in New Bedford, 
^lass., in the year 1850, but lived in early life 
in York, Pa. From the latter jjlacc he jour- 
neyed with his father to the oil country in 
1865, — settling first in Oil City. After a short 
stay the family left the oil region, but returned 
again in 1868, when the elder Weaver went 
into the hotel business in Pleasantville. In 
18^:9. following the fortunes of the oil fields, 
they mo\cd to Parker's Landing, where the 
young man.'"Zach," as he was familiarly called, 
was admitted to ]>artnership with his father, 
under the name of Weaver & Son. In 1876 
the father died, and the following year the son 
went Ui Fldred, thence, in 1878, to Coleville, 
and thence, in 1880, to North Clarendon, 
where he has I'emained ever since. 

In 1881 the su1)ject of this sketch built the 
first hotel ever erected in North Clarendon, 
which was known as the Weaver House, and 
stood on the site of the Central Hotel of to- 
day. It was a large frame structure and con- 
tained thirteen rooms. After operating this 



THIRTV-SE\ EXTH JLDICIAl. DISTRICT 



liotel successfully until 1885, he sold out his 
husiness to Thomas Mahonintj. realizing a 
handsome profit on his investment. He then 
formed a partnership with J. C. Goal, and en- 
gaged in the grocery husiness, building the 
same year, — 1885, — a fine skatingrink, 52x130 
feet, which he remodeled in 1887, changing it 
into an opera house, with elegant scenery. A 
short time after making these alterations and 
improx'ements he recei\-ed an unwelcome visit 
from the fire fiend. His store, together with 
his opera house, was totally destroyed. Phoe- 
nix-like, out of the ruins arose a new building. 
— better than the old, more attractive, more 
substantial in every way, with the same faces 
again behind the counters, ready to receive 
and welcome their old customers. 

On being appointed oil inspector Mr. Weav- 
er retired from the grocery business and as- 
sumed his new duties. Later he came out as 
a candidate for the Republican nomination for 
associate judge on the Warren County bench, 
and so great was his popularity and political 
strength that he was nominated over two 
competitors, Lewis I'tlatt of L\)rydon and 
Charles Wiltzie of Pine Cro\e township. He 
was elected in November, 1898, by the largest 
majority ever recorded in \\'arren County. 
I )uring the time s])arcd from judicial duties he 
is still to be found with his old partner, J. C. 
Goal, at the latter's grocery in North Claren- 
don. 

Judge Weaver possesses many progressive 
ideas, and has identified himself with all lead- 
ing enterprises during his residence in North 
Clarendon. He was a charter member and 
stockholder of the couu)an\' llial built the 



former opera house, which was an ornament 

to the borough. He was also a charter mem- 
ber and stockholder of the Mutual Gas Com- 
pany of North Clarendon. The Judge's real 
estate interests in North Clarendon are among" 
the best. He is justly ])roud of his fine resi- 
dence on Anchor street. This spacious man- 
sion contains all modern improvements, and 
every known convenience. It is surroimded 
by broad lawns, which he supervises, and has 
kept in perfect order. In addition are lovely 
shade trees and fine ornamental shrui:)l)ery, 
which decorate the groimds. Pie is also the 
sole owner of the I. (). O. P. Hall, built by 
the K. of L. Lodge. 

Judge Z. T. Weaver is a son of Abraham 
and Cynthia (Allen) Weaver. His father died 
in 1876, at the age of fifty-two years. His 
mother still survives her husband. She was 
born in the cultured city of Boston, and at 
present makes her home in North Clarendon 
with her son, the subject of this sketch. The 
Judge is one of a family of the fcdlowing 
named children: George \\'.. of Bradford, 
Pa.: Mrs. R. H. Ferguson of Ohio, and Mrs. 
M. E. Tait of Oil City. Pa. Zachary T. is still 
a bachelor, w hose heart has never Ijecn pierce. 1 
by Cupid's dart. 

Judge Wea\er is a most agreealile and 
l^leasant gentleman. Though well and favor- 
ably known, he is unassuming and reserved in 
manner. He is readily marked as one of the 
most enterprising men in town, and is higlily 
esteemed by all who know his many virtues 
of heart and mind. He has served several 
years as clerk of the Ijorough council. Social- 
Iv he is one of the charter members of the I. 



20 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



O. O. F. lodge of Xorth Clarendon, was its 
first noljle grand, and has served as representa- 
tive of the lodge in the grand lodge session. 
He is also a member of the Rebecca Encamp- 
ment of Warren. He has snbstantial real es- 
tate interests, and is one of the town's most 
valued citizens. 




\111LIP J. SWAIX. one of the foremost 
men and jirogressive farmers of Shef- 
field township. Pa., has won the repu- 
tation of being not only a successful dairyman 
but also the most extensive fruit-grower in 
\\'arren County, Pa. He was born in Phila- 
delphia, Pa., and is a son of George Swain. 
Philip was reared and educated in his native 
city, where he remained until the breaking out 
of the Civil War. On July 27, 1861, he en- 
listed in the Union Army in Company I, 61 st 
Pa. Volunteers, as a drummer, but wishing to 
do more active service for our cotmtry he en- 
tered the same company as a pri\atc and 
served imtil September, 1864. Fie was twice 
wounded, but only slightly. He served in the 
Army of the Potomac and ])articipated in all 
the l:>attles of his com]iany. in which he made 
an admirable record for bravery and soldierly 
deportment. .-Vfter being honorably dis- 
charged from the service he returned to Phila- 
<k'l])hia. remaining there about two years. Pie 
then s])ent two years in T^ittsl)urg, and moved 
in 1868 to Warren County. Pa., wlierc he pur- 
chased 214 1-2 acres of land, known as the 
Hall farm, and engaged in agricultural jmr- 
suits. This farm is situated midway between 
Sheffield and Barnes. 



^Ir. Swain inuncdiately began to imjirove 
his farm to his liking, and he has set out 300 
[.ear trees, which base been yielding a bounti- 
ful harvest in return. In addition to those, 
he has 100 ])lnm trees. 100 cherry trees, 100 
([uince, and 150 crab-ajiple trees. Xor is this 
jdl; he has 500 gooseberry bushes, one acre of 
the finest strawberries obtainable, besides 
every other kind of small fruits in (|uantities 
to suit the market. The most of his land and 
time are thus given to market-gardening. Al- 
though he has cleared many acres of timber- 
land, he has still enough to supjily good and 
ample pasturage to his ^2 head of choice Hol- 
stein and Jersey cows, some of which are the 
best and largest in his' district. Mr. Swain has 
built large and spacious barns for the use of 
his fine stock and he is the proud owner of 
the best equipment of farming tools for plant- 
ing, sowing, and harvesting, to be found in 
the whole county. It is indeed a fine set. all 
of which he keeps, when not in use, stored 
away in neat and convenient sheds made for 
that purpose. Xo tools are left standing out 
exposed to the weather on the farm. l)ut every- 
thing is properly cleaned and dried, and kept 
under cover until necessity leqnires its further 
usage. 

Our subject was united in marriage with 
Fi(lcli;i .\. I'arnsworth and their home is 
blessed with the following eight children: 
Emiua: (luy: (lurdon; Charles; Sylvester; 
James; \\'alter. and Philip. Jr. Emma is a 
musical artist who attended college at Oberlin, 
Ohio, and finished her studies at Westminster, 
Pa. Phili]), Jr., died young. 

]Mr. Swain has a large and handsome resi- 




MYRON WATKRS. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



23 



dence upon his farm, for the comfort and con- 

\cniencc of liis family. Ik' is a man of means, 
active, progressive, and very popular among 
all classes. It is scarcely necessary to say that 
this upright and good citizen is receiving his 
just rewartl, in the appreciation of his man}- 
friends and ncighlxirs. He has found fruit 
farming not only a pleasure, hut also very re- 
nnmerative, and has no desire to change meth- 
ods with anv farmer in his vicinitv. 




VRON WATERS, president of 
the Citizens' National Bank at War- 
ren, Pa., certainly deser\'es to he 
classed among the progressive men of Penn- 
sylvania, and his husiness career has heen one 
of the most extraordinary in eventualities, as 
well as one of unvarying prosperity. He is 
a son of Nehenn'ah and Polly Waters, the 
former of whom was horn at Lake George, 
N. v., Deceml)ev 5. I7<^9. ^"d the latter on 
April 22. 1795. Their union resulted in the 
liirth of nine children. Nehemiah ^^'atcrs 
moved to Concord, N. Y., ahout 1820, and 
in 1826 came to Pennsylvania. In 1834 he 
went to Michigan, where he followed lumher- 
ing on the Pine rivers for several years. In- 
<leed, the greater part of his life was occupied 
in lumhering and farming. His death took 
pl.ice in Warren, Pa., at the age of sixty-three 
years, he probably being, as his wife cerlaiidv 
was, a Bai)tist, in religious faith. 

Born at Concord. Erie County, X. V., April 
9, 1817, Myron Waters came to Warren, Pa., 
in 1826, where he attended school until 1834, 
and then went to Michigan, and further at- 



tended school at Palmer, St. Clair County, iii 

that state. Later, he shii)])ed at Detroit, as 
a sailor, on board a vessel Ijound for the up- 
per lakes, and at Port Huron learned the 
painter's trade. In 1840 he moved from 
Michigan to lu-ic, I'a., thence to Buffalo, X. 
v., and thence to Warren, Pa., where he 
worked at the painter's trade for three or four 
\ears. This field of labor was too circum- 
scribed, however, for a man of his superlative 
business talents, and therefore, in 1845, ''t- 
engaged in merchandizing and in the lumber 
trade. These occuined his attention for fif- 
teen years, during which time, in connection 
with M. Miles, he built a large saw mill and 
grist mill at I'arnn'ngton, Warren County, Pa. 
As a i)artner with Willis Benedict, under 
the firm style of Benedict & Waters, Mr. Wat- 
ers drilled the first oil well put down after the 
discovery of petroleum Ijy Colonel Drake on 
Oil Creek, at a place now called Rouscville. 
For a number of years he continued to prose- 
cute this industry, and while thus engaged 
secured the first charter granted for pumi)ing 
oil long distances through pipe lines. He 
also engaged in oil exjiortation. and shi])]ied 
large quantities to Liverpool, Englantl. He 
was likewise one of the incorporators of the 
Oil Creek Railniad, .-nul was actively con- 
nected with numerous other enterprises tend- 
ing to ])rcim(ite the ]irosperity of the district. 
Prior to the l)uilding of the railroad Mr. Wat- 
ers had. for two and one-half vears. made 
weekly trips on horseback lietween James- 
town, N. 'S'.. Warren, Pa., and the Ihnnboldt 
oil refineries im Oil Creek, carrying, in cur- 
rency, from the banks in those ]daces, sums 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



iTiicliiiii;- from $5,000 to $10,000 cacli week — 
an extraordinary manifestaticm nf l)()th ])liysi- 
cal and moral coin"ige. 

Tnst hefore dyint;-, II. R. l\onse. who was 
fatally l)urned in an oil lire on Oil Creek, and 
]i\ed l>nl eiL;lit lionrs after the aecident, had 
made a will, donating- nearly all of his prop- 
erty to Warren Coimty, to be tised for the 
construction of roads, the sn]iport of the i)oor, 
and for other pnrposes beneficial to the coun- 
ty. Under the state law, however, these ben- 
evolent bc(|nests jir(.»ved to be invalid, as the 
will had not been executed tliirt)' days ])rcvi- 
ous to death. Mr. Waters was now ;ii)piiinte.l 
.-idministrator, to settle with the heirs of Mr. 
Kouse. and executed tlie functions of this trust 
to the satisfaction of all concerned. Later 
county commissioners advertised the Rouse 
estate for sale at Philadelphia, but the com- 
missioners could not agree on the terms of 
the sale, and a minority of them disposed of 
the pro])erty for $95,000. The ptirchasers 
brought the funds to Warren and made a 
tender of theui. but a majority of the com- 
missioners refused to sign the deeds, and it 
was now that the bu>iness ability of Mr. Wat- 
ters was brought into Jilay, as he, in con- 
junction with Mr. .Miles, one of the commis- 
sioners, ste])ped in, and in s])ite of the com- 
bined ()])position of the jiurchasers, the com- 
missioners dis])osed of the ]iroperty to other 
parties for ui)ward of $180,000, thus making 
a clear j^ain to the county of over $90,000. 

In 1859, Mr. Waters Iniilt seven miles of 
the l'hi!adel])hia iv F.rie Railroad. Slu.irtly af- 
ter the close of the Civil War, lie ])urchased 
two cotton plantations, containing 3.300 



acres, in the state of Mississi])pi. The cotton 
r.'iised on these ])lanlations he ship])eil to Li\- 
erjiool, luigiand. 

.Mr. Waters was chairmati of the commit- 
tee ih.at erected the building ;it Warren, Pa., 
owned and occupied by the First National 
Bank, was a charter member of the Citizens' 
Savings Bank, and its president from 1873 to 
the date of its being merged with the Citi- 
zens' National Bank, February 8, 1875. Of 
tins he has been the president until the pres- 
ent time, making for it a reputation for solid- 
il\' that is not enjo\'ed 1>\' anv similar institu- 
tion in the Keystone .State. 

In iSSj Mr. \\'aters built the Warren iK: 
I'\arnsworlh A'alley Railroad, from Clarendon, 
Warren County, Pa., to Farnsworth, in the 
same county, and of this he has made a prof- 
itable transportation route. About two miles 
froiu Warren he built a wooden bridge across 
the .Mlegheny Ri\'er, the bridge being known 
as the Cdade Run Bridge. This was later 
re])laced b\- a structure of iron. In 1888, with 
undiminished Itusiness enterprise, he pur- 
chased an orange grove in Florida, contain- 
ing u]i\\ard of 700 trees, and this also jiroved 
to be a profitalde in\estment. 

.\inoug the other liusiness \entiu'es in War- 
ren engaged in by Mr. \\'aters, may be men- 
tioned the fact that he wa.i one of the pur- 
chasers of the land on which the ^^'arren Pul)- 
lic Library building stands. Fie also owned and 
rebuilt the Carver House, and likewise built 
the \\'aters block on Liberty street, with a 
froiUage of 150 feet. In addition to these 
iinpro\ements, he built large livery and stor- 
age barns in Third street, ^oxioo feet, and, in 



THIRTY-SKVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



1889, erected the Citizens' National Bank 
l)uil(ling-. He is one of tlie three menihcrs of 
the Warren (grist) Mills Company, and owns, 
beside, an extensive pianino- mill; he is also 
a large stock-holder in the Seneca Oil \\'orks 
(an independent refinery in Warren), and an 
c(|nally large stock-hdlder in the Kinnear 
Manufacturing Company — this concern being 
manufacturers of self-measuring oil-tanks. 
Attention may here also be called to Piso"-; 
Cure for Consumption and Catarrh, one of the 
best known proprietary medicines in the 
United States, which has l;een before the pub- 
lic for the i^ast thirty years. In the ])roduc- 
tion of this valuable preparation Mr. Waters 
is associated, as president of the com])any. 
with Messrs. E. T. Hazeltine and W. A. Tal- 
bott, of \\'arren. Pa., and Dr. H. Gerould, of 
Cleveland, Ohio, who have owned the prepa- 
ration from the beginning. Mr. Waters now 
owns al;out one-third of the comjiany's capi- 
tal stock. This company keeps cons'.antly 
running six printing presses, and em])loys 
eightv hands in the warious departments con- 
nected with the business. The volume of its 
transactions reaches more than $300,000 per 
annum. The Celeron hotel on Chautauciua 
Lake, X. ^'., also has liis ca|)ital invested to 
one-third of its \alue. It will be seen from 
a perusal of the above, that Mr. Waters is 
a thoroughly enterprising business m.'ui, and 
knows how to ]ilace his ca])ital in a manner 
that not only benefits himself, but hundreds 
of others — thus making him a philanthropist 
in the true sense of the word. 

The first marriage of Myron Waters took 
place in 1844, to Fanny ^1. I-'rencli. but this 



lady was called from earth in 1854, leaving one 
son and two daughters, of whom the eldest 
daughter alone survives. His second mar- 
riage was solenuiized. in 1838, to Charlotte 
L. Aldiott. Mr. Waters, for the past forty 
vears, although not a conununicant, has been 
a constant attendant at the Presbyterian 
Church, of which his wife and daughter are 
both consistent members. A portrait of Mr. 
Waters is shown on another page of this work. 




LBERT SECOR, the genial and accom- 
modating postmaster of Sheffield. Shef- 
field township. Pa., was born in 
P'lster County, X. Y., June 27, 1846, and is 
a son of John II. and Sarah (Hollenbeck) Se- 
cor. Our subject attentled the jnililic schools 
of Sulli\-an Count}', New York, where he 
li\ed and attained his majority. At the age 
of twenty-one years lie went to Greene Coun- 
ty, X. J'., and learned the trade of a brick- 
layer and plasterer. He worked at this trade 
for several years in various parts of his nati\'e 
state. In ]^/J. he located at Wilcox, Elk 
Countw Pa., and in 1874. at Union City, Erie 
County, Pa., where he continued to work at 
his trade until 1883. M this latter date he 
engaged in business as a contractor ai .Shef- 
field. Pa., and cfintimied to solicit c<intract- 
work for house-building, etc.. until 1890. 
During the sc\cn \ears. in which he was en- 
gaged in this contract work, he built nearly 
all the liriedv and p'aster work of the most 
]ironn'nent houses in the borough. 

The insurance business next engaged his 
attention. He represented the L^nderwrit- 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



ers of riiiladelphia, and the Continenial. of 
New York Cit\-, on fire insurance, and tlie 
Hartford on life and accident insurance. In 
May, iSijC), lie was elected justice of tiie peace, 
hut resigned in July. 1S9S. to accept the ap- 
pointment of postmaster. He was elected as- 
sessor of Sheffield township in 1890, and is 
now serving his third term as such. He was 
also aj^pointed census enunierator the same 
year. 

.\lhert Secor's father was of English and 
French descent, and lixed in Canada, where, 
it is supposed, he was horn. He was an ax 
maker by trade — making axes by hand; com- 
ing to the L'nitcd States, he worked at his 
chosen calling at Napanoch, N. Y., and at 
(Jueen Anns, on the Hudson River. His life 
was cut short; at the early age of tiiirty-two, 
while engaged in his usual daily labors, a piece 
of stone burst from a grindstone, and struck 
him with such force as to cause his death. 
His wife was Sarah Hollenbeck, before her 
marriage, and was of Dutch descent. She 
survived her husband many years, living to be 
sixty-seven years old. Their family consisted 
of fi\e children, who were named as follows: 
Filiza .\mi, deceased; Jacob Henr\'. a wagon- 
maker at I'Jidgway, Elk County. Pa.; Lorenzo, 
deceased; .\lbert, suljject of this review, and 
Mary Emily, also deceased. The ])arents of 
this family of children were lioth faithful and 
consistent members of the Methodist Church. 

Our subject has been twice married. His 
first marriage was with Mariam Groat, daugh- 
ter of Peter Groat, of Sullivan County, N. Y. 
She died at the age of thirty-two years, leav- 
ing her husband and four children: Tohn IT.. 



engaged in clerking at Corry. Pa.; Mariam. 
now deceased; Leslie, and Emma M. John 
IL married Ida Butters of Corry, Pa. Leslie 
Secor, second son of Albert, enlisted in April. 
1898. as a private in Company A, i6th Reg. 
Pa. Vol. He was transferred to the ambu- 
lance corps, and thence to the hospital corps 
of the regular army. The company was or- 
dered to ^It. Gretna, Pa., thence to Chicka- 
mauga Park, and afterwarJ to Porto Rico, 
where they were in active service until Oc- 
tober 29, 1898. He was gi\en a furlough on 
account of sickness (chronic diarrhoea) but 
reported for duty December 14, 1898, and was 
honorably discharged at Fort Porter, Buffalo, 
X. Y., December 25, 1898. Leslie Secor was 
married, ^fay 6, 1899, to Myranelle Radeker, 
daughter of C. W. R. Radeker. of Sheffield. 
Pa. 

Albert Secor chose for his second wife Zaida 
Lilley, daughter of Harlow Lilley, of North 
Warren, Pa., and four children resulted from 
the uniiiii: Allicrta. Guy. Raymond and 
Percy. 

Albert Secor. himself, has a noted war rec- 
ord. In the dark days of 1863. he enlisted 
as a ])rivatc in Company G, 2d X. Y. IMounted 
Rifles, from Sulli\an County, and served from 
Xovember of that year until June. 1865. He 
partici]iated in the battles of Cold Harlior and 
Petersburg. He was hit by a s]ient liall July 
30. i8ri4. but not badly wounded and did not 
give u]); he was taken prisoner at Prebles' 
Farm, sent to Lililiy Prison, and afterward 
transferred to Salisljury Prison, where he was 
detained until March, ^i^f)^. when he was 
placed on ])arole. and returned to his home. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



27 



Mr. Secor is a member, and past com- 
mander, of Rudoli)li Pratt Post No. 519, G. 
A. R.; a member, and past grand master, as 
well as past district-deputy grand master, of 
Sheffield Lodge Xo. 481, L O. O. F. He is 
also a member of the K. O. T. M.. and of 
the Royal Temple of Temperance and Daugh- 
ters of Rebecca. lie and his family are regu- 
lar attendants of the M. E. Church. Mr. Se- 
cor resides on Church street, in the borough 
of Shefifield; here he lives in his handsome and 
commodious residence, surrounded jjy his 
family, and the centre of a large circle of 
friends. 




IIARLIiS WASllIXGTOX REED 
RADEKER, one of Sheffield's most 

'esteemed citizens, now practically re- 
tired, was for many years identified with the 
business interests of Sheffield, being connect- 
ed with John McNair & Go's tannery. He 
was born in the town of New Windsor, Orange 
County, N'^. Y., is a son of Henry Radeker 
and grandson of Henry Radeker. Henry Ra- 
deker was of Dutch ancestr_\- and was born 
January 8, 1762. He was a prosperous farmer, 
and followed that occupation during the 
greater period of his active days. He passed 
to the life beyond January 15, 1849, at the 
good old age of eighty-seven years and ten 
days. He and his good wife, ]\Iagdalena 
(born December 20, 1772), were the parents 
of the following children; Catherine, born 
August 5, 1790; Phebe, born February 10, 
1793: Susan, born February 16, 1795; Benja- 
min, born Febru.ary 8, 1797; .Vndrew, born 



January 24, 1799; Huldah, born December 
2y, 1802; Henry, born May 7, 1804: Martha 
Ann, born March 2, 1808; and Jonathan, bom 
October 5, 1810. 

Henry Radeker, father of our sui^ject, was 
Ijorn in either Clstcr or Orange County, X'^ew 
York. He married Rachel Taylor and, like 
his father, followed agricultural pursuits all of 
his active days. Upon the death of his wife 
in her si.xtieth year, he retired from business, 
ami made his home with the subject of our 
sketch until his death occurred, when he was 
eight\-seven years, ten months and two days 
old. They were both members of the Dutch 
Reformed Church, and their family consisted 
of the following children: Elizabeth Ann: 
Joseph_ .\rnott: David Henry Taylor: James 
Scott; .\gnes .Vugusta: George Hunter: An- 
drew Sands; Charles Washington Reed, sulv 
ject of this sketch; and Mary Augusta. 

Charles W. R. Radeker was reared and edu- 
cated in his native town and county. In iS'')7, 
he went to Sheffield, where he accepted a po- 
sition as clerk in the store of Horton, Crary 
& Co. .\fter i)eing associated with them for 
some time, he entered into partnership with 
Amos Lee, and under the firm name of Lee 
& Radeker, conducted a meat market, also 
handling confectionery, cigars, etc., in the 
basement of Horton, Crary & Co.'s store. In 
1870, the Lee House was built and conducted 
as a temperance hotel, and the meat market 
and confectionery store were removed into the 
basement of the hotel. ^Ir. Radeker subse- 
quently sold his interest in the business and 
again engaged in clerking for Horton. Crary 
& Co., until 1872, wlien he purchased a;i inter- 



28 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



est in Joliii ^FcXair & Co.'s Ijusiness at Slief- 
ficld. In 1S93 llicir tanner}' was eonsolidated 
willi the L'nited Slates Leatlier Company. 
Aside from liis interest in the tanner}-, the s'.ih- 
ject of tiiis sketeli lias sinee li\ed a retired 
hfe. lie oeciipics a large and liandsnme resi- 
denee, wiili Ijeautifiil siirronndings, wliich was 
l)nilt by Jolin :\IcNair & Co. 

Air. Kadeker chose for liis life eoni]ianioii. 
]'-\-elyn Hale T.amkin. a charininL;' and ac- 
complished lad}-. Their unioi-i was blessed 
with a fainil}- of six children, five of whom 
are lixin;;-, and of whom they are jnstly proud. 
The}- were gix-en b}- their i)arents exception- 
ally good educational aihantages, not onl}' in 
book learning, i)ul in the fine arts as well, 
such as music. ])ainting, and fine needle-work. 
It is needless to say they have obtained the 
most ])ossible good from their opportunities 
and are all finely educated. Sonte e.xcel in 
])ainting on china, and in emliroidery, and 
iiave elegant specimens of haniliwurk, while 
others of the family are said to be the tinest 
musicians in the town. It is a source of jjri.le 
not onl}- to their [larents and relati\-es, to 
i>ote their various accomjdishments. l)iit to 
their friends and neighbors. Their cliildrei-! 
are as follows: Carrie Elizabeth, who ei-ijoys 
the reputation of being the finest artist on 
china-painting and embroidery in the state: 
Myranelle: Junius Ray Horton; Charles 
Henry, who died at the age of five months and 
one day; Ruth, and W'alter Scott. 

Mr. Kadeker is an earnest Democrat, but 
has ne\er aspired to office. In 1H77, he was 
selected to run for comity treasurer, and while 
defeated by 120 votes, he reduced the o])pos- 



ing majority by more than 1 ,000. He is a 
most ])leasant and agreeable gentleman, and 
is an honor to the community in which he re- 
sides. In his religious \-iews he formerly fa- 
vored the Reformed Church, but now attends 
the services of the Methodist denomination. 



§OHN C. GOAL, a prominent resident of 
North Clarendon, Mead township, Pa., 
since 1881, enjoys the distinction of be- 
ing, not only one of the largest oil-producers 
in the Thirty-seventh Judicial District of 
Pennsylvania, but was. also, one of the first to 
engage in the petroleum business in Xorth 
Clarendon. He is a son of John and Barbara 
(Stroeble) Cjoal, and was Ijorn in Lancaster 
County, Pa., in 1846. 

John Goal, father of our suljject, was a na- 
tive of Alsace-Lorraine, France, and, leaving 
the \-ine-clad hills of his sunny home, he came 
to .\merica, to live in that land where his own 
beloved countryman, Lafayette, had fought 
and l)led to establish freedom. John settled 
in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Both he 
and his wife lived to a good old age, and 
throughout the length of his life he followed 
the one vocation, that of a cabinet maker. 
Mr. and Mrs. Goal were the parents of eight 
children. 

Mr. Goal attended the jiublic schools of 
I'leasantville, \'enango County, Pa., and af- 
terward took a finishing course at Edinboro. 
Early in life he Ijecame interested in the oil 
business, and engaged in operating wells, first 
at Tidioute, Warren Count}', later in \'enan- 
go, Butler Count}-, and still later in Claren- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JIDICIAI. DISTRICT 



don. In i88i he located permanently in 

Xortli Clarendon, associating- Iiimsclf with Iiis 
hrother, A. D. ('Kjal. in tlic oil l)nsinoss. He 
has been \ery actixe in this line of speculation, 
and good results have followed his enterpris- 
ing moves. lie purchased lot 558, on which 
he opened up petroleum wells, and he oper- 
ates more than 40 wells in Forest County. 
For five years he and his brother conducted 
an oil refinery at Watson, Pa. Besides being 
a stock-holder in the Cornplanter Refinery 
Co., Warren, Pa., he is \ice-presiilent of that 
companx'. 

It would be almost impossible to state the 
exact numljer of i)etroleum wells he has been 
interested in. By his large experience with 
oil wells, he has gained a thorough knowledge 
of the particular details of the business, which, 
coupled with his splendid judgment, makes 
him an authority on that subject. His advice 
is frequently sought on the dilTerent lines of 
oil-production. After coming to North Clar- 
endon, he associated himself in business with 
Judge Z. T. Weaver, under the firm name of 
Goal & Weaver, general merchants. For 
eight years this firm was successful to a 
marked degree, after which Mr. Goal pur- 
chased his partner's interest, and conducted 
the business for five years. During this time, 
not only his store but his residence adjoining, 
were totally destroyed by fire; but Ijoth were 
promptly rebuilt, and some time after, Mr, 
Goal sold his store to C. \'alemont & Com- 
pany, and decided to devote his time entirely 
to his oil and gas interests. He owns a gas 
supply not only at North Clarendon, but also 
at Watsons, and at Foxburg. 



Mr. Goal was united in marriage with Han - 
nah X. Ilaight, a daughter of Albert W. 
Haight, of Pleasant\ille, Pa., and to them 
have been born two sons; one of them died 
in infancy, while the other, Albert W., is the 
able assistant of his father in the oil business. 
Mr. Goal is an earnest Repul)lican in politics, 
and his religious views are broad and liberal. 
He has served as councilman and is at ])res- 
ent chairman of the council. He has also 
ser\-ed as treasurer of the borough. I'rater- 
nally he is a \alued meml;er of the R. .\. and 
I. O. O. F. lodges. 




ENRY M. KIPPEL, the sul)ject of 
these lines, stands pre-eminent among 

- V ^the successful farmers and lumber- 
men of Wru'ren County. Pa. Mr. Kippel in- 
herited man}- of the manly cpialities that dis- 
tinguished his ancestors, and by his energetic 
and praisew ortli}' life has attained a high place 
in the estimation of his fellow-citizens with 
whom he has had dealings in a business and 
also in a purely social way. Our subject was 
born in (jermany. Fie is a son of Charles 
Kipjiel, who emigrated from Germany with 
his family, settling in Buffalo, N. Y.. where 
he was successfully engaged in Ijusiness for a 
number of years. He is now a prominent 
resident of Cattaraugus County, N. Y. 

Henry M. Kippel received his scholastic 
training in his nati\e country, Germanv, 
where he began learning the blacksmith trade. 
In 1853, he accompanied his parents to Amer- 
ica, completing his apprenticeship in Buftalo, 
after which lie started a blacksmith shop in 



30 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



tlic same city, in parliKTsIiip with I'liili]) Dick; 
^i^.■lli^,^ out t(_) liis ])artiicr in 1<S()_'. he went t(.) 
Titiis\ille. I'a., where he worked at his trade 
a i)art nf tlie time, and also eii^'ai^eil in team- 
iiiL;". J.ater he worked at his trade in a re- 
fmery. after wliich lie went to Corry, and in- 
vested his savini;s in some wild land, bctjin- 
ning the double occupation of farmino- and 
hmiliering. Ilis first tract cont;iincd hut 50 
acres, hut later he purchasetl the timber from 
500 acres. In 1882 Mr. Kippel moved to the 
present situation of Torpedo, wliere he pur- 
chased laud, soon after engaging- to clear the 
timber from foo acres and later from 1,200 
acres; in fact, he purchased and cleared all the 
timber in that (Hstrict. He was one of the 
organizers of the National Bank of Corrv. 
now a flourishing institution, having a capital 
stock of $50,000, and is now its president. 
Our subject has been a director of that insti- 
tution since its organization in 1890. and is 
also interested in the Corry Electric Light 
Company. 

He is still an active lumberman and at the 
present time is associated in business with Mr. 
Moore under the hrm name of The Moore «& 
Kippel Company, controlling 8,000 acres of 
valuable timl)er land at b'ort Wing. Wis., 
where they operate two .saw mills and two 
shingle mills, with a capacity of 90,000 feel 
of lumber per day. Mr. Kippel lived on his 
larm near Torjicdo until recently, when he 
took up his residence at Corry, I'a. His farm 
contains 500 acres and his residence there was 
erected by himself in 1885. Besides carrying 
on general farming our subject is (piite 
an extensive sheep-raiser and his farm 



contains many fine fruit orchards, which 
not only sujiply the family with fine 
fresh fruit (if the best (jualily, but 
furnish a large sm-plus, which is shijjped and 
nets very profitable returns. 

Martha .M tiller became the wife of our sub- 
ject and has [iroxcd herself a most worthy 
coiu])anion. She is a daughter of John and 
Laura (Astrick) Miiller and inherited a farm 
of 80 acres near Corry, Pa. Mrs. Kippel was 
born at Webster, near Rochester, N. Y., but 
was brcjught to Warren County by her par- 
ents when quite young, and received her edu- 
cation in the district schools. Two children 
blessed this most happy union: Henry Har- 
rison and Marie. 

Our suljject has been a life-long Rcpul)- 
lican and has served as assessor in his town- 
ship, although he never wanted ofTice. He is 
a \alued niemlier of Youngsville Lodge, No. 
500. L O. O. F. Both Mr. and Mrs. Kippel 
are well and fa\-orably known in social and 
religious circles and they have, as they de- 
ser\-e, the g(iod will and cordial friendship of 
the entire communit_\- in which they li\e, their 
record through life being one of which their 
children may well be proud. 




H.LL\M CUNNING H A M 

XEILL. Consiiicuous among the 
young attorneys-at-law of Warren, 
rcnnsyKania, is the gentleman whose naiuc 
heads these lines. Mr. Neill is meeting with 
excellent success, considering" the short time 
he has been known as a professional man, and 
with his jiarticularl}- fme education and spc- 




HON. WILTON MONROE LINDSEY. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



33 



cial aptitude for his profession, it is predicted 

by many that he will make his mark and at- 
tain a liigh rank. 

Mr. Xeill was Ijorn in Titusvillc, Pa., on 
the fifth day of April, 1872, and is a son of the 
late Samuel Tate and Julia Laura (Sinclair) 
Neill. He attended the public schools of his 
native borough from 1878 until 1882, when 
his parents removed to Warren, Pa., after 
which \\'illiam entered the public schools of 
the latter town, continuing' in them until the 
autunui of iSSC), when he went to the city of 
Pittsburg for the purpose of further educat- 
ing himself. He entered the grammar school 
first, and afterward the high school of that 
city, making his home with an uncle. Mr. C. 
H. Brace. In 1891 he graduated from the 
high school, antl in the fall of the same year 
entered Princeton College, from which he was 
graduated with honors in 1895. His college 
days will ever be remembered as the most in- 
teresting period of his life. During those 
memorable and happy years he took great 
pleasure in athletic sports, being a member of 
the baseball and football teams of his class. 
Throughout his college course and his various 
vacations Mr. Neill applied himself diligently 
to the study of law, and. after his graduation, 
registered as a law student at Warren. Pa. 
After spending one year in his father's office, 
he passed a successful and highly creditable 
examination, and was admitted to the Warren 
County Bar. 

Sanniel Tate Xeill. whose sketch appears 
elsewhere in this publication, having died 
August 4. 1896, young Neill assumed full 
ciiarge of the ofiice and law business, carr\- 



ing forward to a successful issue many im- 
portant cases in which his father was con- 
cerned at the time of his <leath. Duties and 
responsibilities of such unusual weight and 
magnitude rarely fall upon one so young as 
he. l)ut in this instance they were assumed 
and borne with s])len(li(l results. Mr. Xeill 
has proved himself a worthy successor to his 
beloved father, whose untimely death was so 
uni\crsally regretted. 

In expressing his political preferences, the 
subject of our sketch is not at all backward, 
but proudly avows that he is a Gold Demo- 
crat, with plenty of courage to express his 
convictions, and support the gold standard, 
adhering to his opinions with manly courage 
and fidelity. He is just as firm in his religious 
\iews. being a steadfast member of the Pres- 
byterian Church. 

Socially. Mr. Xeill occupies an enviable po- 
sition in the community, and his presence 
seems indispensable at every meeting of im- 
portance. He is a member of the Shakes- 
peare and Conewango clubs, and also of the 
Elks. While he is a popular and cultured 
gentleman, of pleasing and genial manners, 
he is also a man of indomitable will, and is 
imbued with that energy wdiich boldly con- 
fronts discouraging obstacles, and by which 
he hopes to mount the ladder of success step 
liy step, until he reaches a position that is the 
cynosure of all eyes. 

OX. WILTOX MOXROE LIXD- 
SEY. a distinguished barrister of 
Warren, Warren County, Pa., whose 
portrait ai)pears on the o])iiosile page, is pres- 




34 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



idont judge of tlie 'riiirty-seventh Jmlicial 
District of l'enii,s\l\ania, and liis term, wliicli 
cuds January i, iHgij. lias been marl<cd li\' an 
earnest and [jaiuslakiny effort t(_) do exact 
jtisticc. He has served his constituents faitli- 
fidly, and lias also gained fa\-or in his (>])])os- 
ing- party by the impartial course he has pm-- 
sued in the discharge of his duties. He is a 
candidate for re-election, hax'ing recei\'ed the 
nomination of the Republican party, and as 
the opposing ])art\" refused to place a candi- 
date in the field, he will maintain his seat for 
the term expiring on January i, 1909. 

Judge Lindsey is one of a faniil_\- of eleven 
children, eight bovs and three girls, and was 
born in Pine (jro\-e township, Warren Count)', 
June 8, 1841: he is a son of Joseph and Cath- 
erine Lindsey. His father was an agricultur- 
ist in that township for a long period, but re- 
sided in Warren borough with his family dur- 
ing the last _\ears of his life. He was of Irish 
descent, whilst his wife came of Welsh-Ger- 
man stock. 

Otu" suljject was reared on a farm, and his 
boyhood days were characterized In- the daily 
roiuinc of most farmer boy.s, in attending the 
district school and like experiences. i\s a 
yotith, he was ambitious and determined to 
make the best of his ojiportunities and oljtain 
a good education. As his advancement in 
the district schools could not be other- 
wise than slow, at the age of seventeen 
years he entered the Ixandoljih Academy 
at l\andol])h, N. Y.. realizing full well 
that he had a hard task to accomi^lish, 
as he was obliged to pay his own tuition. 
He worked ui)on his father's farm during the 



sunnner. and perfurnied other odd jolis which 
would bring him money, and thereby secure 
enough to pa\- his way in college for the fol- 
lowing year. In this manner he continued 
until he was in his senior year; but. [jrior to 
the completion of his course, he gave vent 
to his patriotism, in iHCtj. upon the call for 
troops, and enlisted in the 145th Reg., Pa. 
\'oI. Inf., under the command of Col. H. L. 
Brown, of Erie. He spent some little time 
with the regiment in the field, when he was 
taken sick and incapacitated for further duty, 
receiving his discharge in the summer of 1863. 
He then returned to the home of his parents, 
where after a few months of careful treatment, 
his health was restored, and he made plans 
to complete his education which had been in- 
terrupted by the war. As before, he started 
out under discouraging circumstances, but 
with great determination. He entered the 
State Normal School, at Edinboro, in the fall 
of 1863, and by his ]3erse\erance and industry, 
remained in school imtil ( October i, 1865, 
when he was appointed su]KM"intendent of the 
common schools of Warren County, to suc- 
ceed Hon. Charles W. Stone, upon the lat- 
ter's resignation. He gave pronounced satis- 
faction, and was elected to that position for a 
term of three years, on June i, 1866, and upon 
the expiration of his second term he was re- 
elected, in i86g. He had always displa}ed a 
fondness for the legal profession, and while 
serving as county superintendent, began the 
study of law. iMually deciding to devote his 
entire time to study, he resigned his position 
on December i, 1871, and entered the office 
of Hon. S. P. Johnson, whose term as presi- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



35 



dent judge of Warren County had just ex- 
pired. Under the lattcr's su])ervisiou he com- 
pleted his study, and was aihnitted to the bar, 
JMarch i, i.S/J. lie ihen forniod a partner- 
shi]) with Judge Johnson, and their association 
continued until the death of the latter. At 
that time Mr. Jolnison was one of the most 
extensive and successful ])ractitioners in this 
section of the state, and had on hand a num- 
ber of celebrated cases. Among these were 
many relating to important land-titles, which 
attracted wide attention. As a result of this, 
]\Ir. Lindsey gained an extensive knowledge 
of the law upon such subjects, which has stood 
him in good stead in recent years. He ac- 
quired a very large jvractice. not only in the 
county courts, l)Ut in the United States cir- 
cuit and districts courts as well, establishing a 
good reputation. In 1876 he was nominated, 
and in due time elected, to the State Legisla- 
ture, in which Ixidy he was very active, and 
supported a numlier of measures which after- 
wards became laws. He was made chairman 
of the committee appointed to make investi- 
gation of the great railroad riots in 1877, and 
rendered valuable services to the state. The 
committee first proceeded to I'ittsburg, then 
to Scranton. Reading, and Philadelphia, 
where they took evidence from many wit- 
nesses, the examination being principally con- 
ducted by Mr. Lindsey. The report made by 
the committee was pnblished by the State. 
making a volume of one thousand pages, and 
was considered an excellent piece of work, 
w hich reflected great credit upon its chairman. 
It was largely through his efforts that the leg- 
islature so liberall}- ajiprojiriated for the state 



hospital at North Warren, wdiich is an excel- 
lent institiuion. and the citizens of that com- 
munit}- have ever been grateful to him for the 
ser\ice. While Mr. Lindsey was in the legis- 
lature, James O. Parmlee was admitted into 
the law firm, and they practiced under the 
firm name, Johnson, Lindsey & Parmlee, until 
the death of Mr. Johnson, wdien the name was 
changed to Lindsey & Parmlee. As such it 
continued, inuil Mr. Lindsey became a candi- 
date for the office of president judge of the 
Thirty-seventh Judicial District to fill the \a- 
cancy caused by the death of Judge Xoyes, 
when the partnership was dissolved. There 
being three candidates for that appointment, 
the go\-ernor of the state decided to leave the 
choice to the people at their pritnaries for the 
spring election, and as a result, Mr. Lindsey 
was chosen by a large majority, and appointed 
by Governor Hastings for the unexpired term, 
ending January i. 1899. He has disi)layed 
rare judgment in the performance of his duties 
and in handing down decisions of importance, 
and as a judge, his ettorts have pleased the 
peojile of the district. His mind is grasping 
and discriminating, and his studious haliits 
have stored it with a vast amount of knowl- 
edge outside of his profession. He is recog- 
nized as a power in the Republican party, and 
takes a deep interest in all matters of a local 
nature, as well as those of national and state 
importance, lie has served on the school 
board for a number of terms, arid was its chair- 
man for a few years. 

Judge Lindsey was united in marriage with 
Emma Sherman of Thetford. \'t.. Decemlier 
_'(). i8(;0, and their happy union was blessed 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



by four children, only one of whom is now liv- 
ing, Edward, who is following closely in the 
footsteps of his father, and is now a j^artner 
of Mr. Parnik'c in the law-lh-ni of Parmlee & 
Lindsey. He recei\ed his preparatory educa- 
tion in the Phillips-Exeter Academy, and sub- 
sequently in the Xew York Law School, after 
which he attended Dartmouth College, where 
he graduated. He was admitted to the bar in 
1895, and has since been \ery successful in 
practice. In 1895 he was joined in wedlock 
with Mildred Crosby, a daughter of Prof. A. 
B. Crosby, late an instructor in Dartmouth 
College. Religiously our subject is a mem- 
ber of the Presbyterian Church, and was one 
of a committee of five appointed to superin- 
tend the erection of the new stone edifice in 
1896-1897. 



;. U'lLLLXAI \'. HAZELTIXE is 
q ■ a iinmiinent ])hysician of Warren. 

who enjoys the esteem and patron- 
age of the leading citizens of the community. 
He is a son of Aljraham and Jane (Morrison) 
Plazeltine. and was liorn in Ihisti. Chautauqua 
County. X. v.. .\ugust 2(\ 1840. 

He is descended from good old New Eng- 
land stock, being a grandson of Daniel Hazel- 
tine, who was bom in Vermont and lived 
there throughout his life. Abraham Hazeltine 
was I)orn at Wardslioro, Vt., and received his 
primary education in the public schools of 
that place, after which he became enrolled as 
a student in Brattleboro .'Xcademy. He sub- 
se(|uently completed a course of medicine in 




Dartmouth College, and then removed to 
Warren, Warren County, Pa., where he was 
the first regular practitioner. He acquired a 
hicrati\-e practice and continued as a resident 
of that borough until 1840, when he went to 
care for his aged mother, who resided at 
Busti, X. V. He married Susanna Walkup, 
a nati\e of Chautaufjua County. X. Y.. and 
their union was blessed l)y the birth of three 
children: Thomas W.. deceased; Daniel C, 
deceased, and Louise, the wife of Rev. A. K. 
Fox. who now lives at Denmark. Iowa. Mrs. 
Hazeltine died at an early age, and the doctor 
formed a second marital union with Jane I\Ior- 
rison. a daughter of Benjamin Morrison of 
Jerseyshore, Lycoming County, Pa., and they 
had four children: William \'., the gentleman 
whose name appears at the head of these Hues; 
Lewis M.. a well-known resident of Warren; 
Abram J., and David Dexter, who died in 
1867, aged about twenty-five years. Dr. Haz- 
eltine was actively identified with the early 
development of Warren, and served as the 
first treasurer of the \\'arren school district. 
He was a member of the Congregational 
Church, religiously, but during his residence 
in Warren was connected with the Presby- 
terian Church. He tlied in 1847 at the age of 
fifty years: his wife survived him many years 
and died in 1894. aged eighty-two years. 

Dr. William \'. Hazeltine. the subject of 
this sketch, received his early intellectual train- 
ing in the public schools of his native town, 
and in 1857 mo\ed to Warren, where he en- 
tered the drug store of Hazeltine & Company. 
He continued as a clerk in that store for two 
vears, when he returned to Busti, X"^. Y.. and 




JOHN CURWEX, M. D. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



39 



accepted a clerical position in a dry goods 

store. In 1865, having decided to enter the 
medical profession, he i)egan to stndy nnder 
tlie direction of Dr. H. P. flail of Jamestown. 
N. Y. He attended medical lectnres at the 
University of Michigan, Harvard Medical 
College, and Long Island College Hospital, 
receiving a degree from the last-named insti- 
tntion. He located permanently in Warren 
in 1869. took np a jM-actice, and has remained 
there ever since. The thorough jireparation 
w hich he earlv received' and the years which 
he has since applied to study, combined with 
his long practical experience, have enabled 
him to effectively treat all cases requiring 
medical skill. He is accorded the confidence 
of his fellow-citizens, many of whom he has 
professionally attended during nearly the en- 
tire period of his residence there. He was 
one of the organizers of the W'arren Medical 
Society, and one of its first officers. He is 
also a member of the Pennsylvania State Med- 
ical Society. Dr. Hazeltine is a man of high 
principles, and has always lent his influence 
in support of all worthy enterprises, which had 
in view the best interests of W'arren and of his 
fellow-men. Politically, he is a stanch advo- 
cate of the cause of Prohibition. 

In 1865 the doctor married Hannah L. 
Knapp, who died in 18(17. He formed a sec- 
ond union, in 187J, with Isabel Mcintosh, of 
Sugar Grove township, W'arren County, and 
they have one daughter, .Mice I., a sopho- 
more in Syracuse University. In religious at- 
tachments he is connected with the Methodist 
Episcopal Church ; he is a member of the offi- 
cial board, and is now ser\ing as steward. 



^OHN CURWEN, M. D., physician-in- 
chief, and superintendent of the State 
Hos])ital for the Insane at W'arren, Pa., 
is a gentleman whose name is widely known 
throughout this and other states for his many 
years' connection with the Harri.sburg and 
W'arren hospitals for the insane. Insanity, 
one of the most intricate problems ever pre- 
sented to man for solution, has been a lifelong 
study with him. The utter helplessness of 
persons afflicted thus appealed to his better 
nature in his younger days, and his life has 
been well spent in the alleviation of the con- 
dition of these unfortunates. His success can- 
not lie cloubted, and his efforts in securing 
appropriations from the legislature for vari- 
ous hospitals have gained for him the grati- 
tude of every good citizen. 

Dr. Curwen was born in Lower Merion 
township, Montgomery County, Pa., and ob- 
tained a high intellectual training in Yale Col- 
lege. Having decided upon a medical career 
he entered the medical department of the Uni- 
versity of Pennsylvania, at Philadelphia, and 
after his graduation received the appointment 
of assistant-physician of the Penns\I\ania 
Hospital for the Insane located in that cit\-, 
nnder the charge of Dr. Thomas S. Kirk- 
bride. He remained in that institution until 
1849, after which he spent one }'ear in gen- 
eral practice, and in attending the different 
hospitals in Philadelphia. In February, 1851, 
he was elected su]^erintendent of the Pennsvl- 
vania State Lunatic Hospital at Harrisburg, 
and there he remained for thirty long vears, 
in the faithful jierformance of his duties. He 
became an authority un all matters pertain- 



40 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



iiiii" to tiic subject of insanity, and was well- 
known to tlic incdical fraternities throu^iiout 
tiie state. On Feliruary ii, iSSi, he relin- 
quished tlie duties of that office, and a few- 
months later, on July 7, 1881, he became sn- 
])erintendent, and chief physician of the State 
Hospital for the Insane at Warren, I'a,, where 
he has sifice been located. 

Our subject has always been an active work- 
er in the fraternities of his jjrofession, and has 
iield manv otlices. lie was one of the original 
members of the .Medical Society of I^auphin 
County, Pa., and is now a member of the Med- 
ical Society of \\'arren County. He belongs 
to the Medical Society of Pennsylvania, of 
which he was president in 1868. He has served 
as chairman of a nnmljer of committees of that 
organization, namely: the committee to me- 
morialize the legislature in favor of a hospital 
for the insan'e in the northern district of the 
state, which resulted in the present institution 
at Dan\-ille; the connnittee to memorialize the 
legislating in fa\'or of a hos]Mtal for insane 
criminals: the committee to seciu-e a hospital 
for the nortliwestern district, — the institution 
now located at Warren; and the committee in 
behalf of a hos])ital for the southwestern dis- 
trict of the state, which is located at Xorris- 
town. He was also a member of the commit- 
tee to memorialize the legislature in favor of 
the law regidating all admissions into hos[)i- 
tals for the insane, — the Ijill ])assing the House 
in 1869, He has been a member of tlie .\mer- 
ican Medical Association for nian\- years, and 
lias frec|uently read papers Ijefore that body, 
on the subject of caring for the insane. He 
was also a member of the Association of Medi- 



cal Superintendents of American Institutions 
for the Insane, from 1851 until i8yj. ( )f this 
association he served as secretary from 1868 
until the organization was merged into the 
.\merican Medico-Psychological .Association, 
in 1S92. In 1893 he was elected presidentof the 
last-named organization, and served during 
the year 1894. He is an honorary member of 
the P.ritish Medico-Psychological .Vssociation, 
and of the American Philosophical Society, of 
Philadeli)hia. lie was a commissioner for the 
erection of the State Hospital for the Insane 
at Danville, and for the one, also, at Warren. 
He has been for many years one of the trus- 
tees of Lafayette College, at Easton, Pa. 

The Doctor has written several articles on 
insanity, mostly reports of the institutions of 
which he has had charge, and the commissions 
of wdiich he was a member, and papers written 
for medical societies and journals. In 1850 
he i)ul)lished a manual for the use of attend- 
ants at insane hospitals. He also prepared a 
history of the Association of Medical Superin- 
tendents of American Institutions for the In- 
sane, including the pcrscMial histories of the 
original thirteen members, and their portraits, 
— and also a biogra])hical sketch of Thomas S. 
Kirkbride, M. D. .\ jjortrait of Dr. Cm-wen 
api)ears on another page of this w-ork. 




7?n OMER M. PUTNAM. The school of 
to-day, seemingly simple in many of 
its appointments, is yet of a very 
com]ile.\ character, and still ])resents serious 
])roblenis to the student of jiedagog}-. To be 
fitted for the recinirements of the position the 



THIRTV-SEVEXTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



41 



present-day school teacher undergoes a far 

more tli(ir(U!s;li ])ri'parati(ni tlian was ever 
thou^^'ht necessarv in tlie l)esl schools of fifty 
years agfo. The position of county superin- 
tendent of schools ])rcsents difficulties and 
prohlems that can only he successfully solved 
hy one who has had wide cx])crience in teach- 
ing and whose executive ahility is the hest. 
Warren County, Pa., has heen particularly 
fortunate in securing Homer M. Putnam, the 
I)resent incumbent of that office and the sub- 
ject of this sketch. In him m;m\- excellencies 
of character are united, and. as his life work 

has been teaching, he is all the more fitted to 

f. 
attencl to his present duties. Mr. Putnam was 

appointed superintendent of the Warren 
County schools April i6, 1889. to fill the un- 
expired term of Thomas W. Arird, who had 
resigned. His ser\-ices were so satisfactory 
that in May, 1890, he was elected county su- 
perintendent and was re-elected in 1893, ^"*^ 
again in 1896. He has done noble work in 
the cause of educaticju in Warren County, and 
by so doing has won the esteem of all those 
interested in educational matters. Under his 
superintendency splendid results have been 
accomplished in the improvement of the 
school buildings, furniture and a])]iaratus. His 
constant aim has been to familiarize himself 
with the educational wants of his county and 
to secure thoroughh- e([uipi)ed, competent 
teachers, who are earnest and conscientious. 
Mr. Putnam has also introduced a uniform 
system of examinations in the schools of the 
county, which has had a wonderfully stimu- 
lating effect on the ])upils. The nund)er of 
schools untler his supervision is 290. taught 



by a like number of teachers. During his 
administration a very gratifying change has 
been brought about in the character of the 
teachers' institiUes. The old line of instruc- 
tion lias been abandoned and the most able 
instructors and lecturers of the widest experi- 
ence and highest al)ility are engaged, thus 
carrying the work forward along new and 
more satisfactory lines. In politics Mr. Put- 
nam is faithful to the Republican party, al- 
though he does not carry political ideas into 
his school work, nor let them interfere with 
his professional duties in the least. The sub- 
ject of this sketch was Ijorn at Russell, War- 
ren County. Pa.. January 20. 1864. He is 
a son of Theodore L. and .\bigail (Akeley) 
Putnam and grandson of Daniel Putnam. 

Daniel Putnam was born in New England 
and at a very early age migrated to Pennsyl- 
vania, settling at once in Farmington town- 
ship, Warren County. Pa., where he was 
known as a gentleman worthy of the fullest 
recognition in the early history of the county 
as one who rendered eminent services in vari- 
ous fields of labor for the advancement of the 
interests of his section. He was united in 
marriage with I'.etty Barrett, who was of 
English origin. .She ])roved a most cheerful 
helpmeet and companion to Mr. Putnam until 
his sudden deiuise terminated their union. 
Death came to him without warning: he was 
struck by lightning ami instantly killed. 

Their son. Theodore L. Putnam, father of 
Hoiuer M.. was born in Farmington township 
and now resides in Russell. He is one of War- 
ren County's most esteemed and respected cit- 
izens and has held some very important public 



42 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



offices, liaxini;" licen countv commissioner, as- 
sessor, scliool director, justice of the peace 
and county auditor, lie sought for his life 
companion Al)is;ail .\i<elcv, a most charming 
and sweet-tempered hid\-. Their union was 
proHlic of tln-ee sons rnid two dau,s;"hters, as 
follows: I'^lora Idella: llomer M., subject of 
this writing; Inez E.; Lynn D.; and Glenn J., 
deceased. 

Homer M. Putnam attended the village 
school at Russell until he attained the age of 
fifteen years, when he entered the Union 
School and Collegiate Institute at Jamestown, 
X. ^'.. a place noted for its beautiful scenery, 
industrial institmions. factories, and its many 
excellent schools. Mr. Putnam graduated in 
1883, receiving at the same time a diploma 
from the regents of the University of New 
York. During the period of his education he 
taught school for several terms and thus, by 
his own efforts, worked his way through his 
course of study. Though still a young man, 
he has led a remarkably successful career, and 
we ])redict for him far greater successes in the 
future. 

Mr. T^Unam was united in matrinumv with 
Pelle A. Chase, the accomplished daughter of 
Charles Chase, Escp, manager of the Watson 
estate. This joyous event was celebrated No- 
vember 17, 1888. Mrs. Putnam was born in 
Russell, Pa., December 4. 1868. Two sons 
came to brighten their home: Harold Chase, 
born October 8, 1893. and Homer M., Jr.. 
born January 26, 1895. 

Mr. Putnam is a member of the Odd Fel- 
lows, the Klks. and the Knights of the ^Vlacca- 
bees, and is also treasurer of the Kevstone 



benefit Society. Pioth he and Mrs. Putnam 
are aitendnnts of the hirst M. E. Church of 
Warren, I'a. 



/^3)E()k(.h: W. PRICE, a prominent 
\^| lumberman of Warren Count}'. Pa., 
m;d-;es his home at Garland, Pa., 
where his offices are situated, although his 
lumber plant was removed some time ago to 
Forest Comity, near Tionesta. His present 
con\'enient house and barns were built in 
1874. The house is a substantial and spacious 
dwelling, and has, since its construction, been 
impro\-ed by the addition of a new wing, 
which renders it one of the most attractix-e 
and con\'enient residences in that \icinitv. 
Mr. Price has had large experience in the 
lumber business, as he began working in a 
sawmill at the age of fifteen years, and has 
continued in that line until now. In 1865 he 
went to Warren as sawyer in the mill of Mr. 
Barnes, remaining with him until 1870, when 
he went into the same business for himself by 
starting a steam mill in that \icinity. His mill 
was known as the G. W. Price Mill, and had 
a capacity of 25,000 shingles per day, besides 
sawing a considerable ([uantit}' of rough lum- 
ber. In 1876 Mr. Price sold that plant, re- 
mo\ ing to Garland, Pa., where he built a new 
mill, and htled it out with the latest and best 
machinery. This mill was operated by our 
subject very successfully until the timber land 
in that vicinity wa^ exhausted, after which the 
plant was remo\ed to its present location near 
Tionesta, in Forest County. 

Geortie W. Price was born at Greenwood, 




MINOR B. DUNHAM. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



45 



Schuylkill County, Pa., September 20, 1850, 

receiving his primary mental training in the 
district schools of Barnesville, I'a. He is a 
son of Thompson and Susanna (Raught) 
Price, and grandson of James Price. Thomas 
Price was hofn, reared, and educated in East- 
ern Penns\l\ania. and followed the coal busi- 
ness all his life — that being the principal in- 
dustry in the eastern part of the state. He 
was united in marriage with Susaiuia Raught. 
and they reared a family of eight children, 
one of whom was George W. Price, the sub- 
ject of this sketch. 

Mr. Price \\a^ joined in wedlock with Ettie 
Dinsmore, the fascinating daughter <of G. \\'. 
Dinsmore, a prominent lumberman of Tio- 
nesta. where Ettie was born and educated, 
living with lier parents uiUil her marriage with 
Mr. Price. Their happy union was productive 
of sex'en children, namely: Edith; Charles; 
Clayton: Will: Claude: Grace, and Merle. 
These children were all priiuarilv instructed 
in the district school. Charles and Clayton 
are now ably assisting their father in the lum- 
ber business. Claude is in the employ of the 
Pemisy]\ania and Erie R. R. Co., as freight 
agent at Warren, Pa. 

.■\s a citizen, Mr. Price is abreast of the 
tiiues. and keei)S hini-^elf well informed on 
the topics of the daw He understands pretty 
tlioroughly the ])cilitical history of our coun- 
try, and delights in e.xpounding Republican 
principles and theories, but has alwavs led 
too btisy a life to be !)othered with ])olitical 
offices. Althou.gh a member of the Presby- 
terian Church. Mr. Price is a very liberal sup- 
porter of all religious denominations; he 



never turns a deaf ear to a charitable appeal, 

and alw.'iys is ready to devote time and money 
toward the develoijuient of the comnninity. 




dXOR B. L)L'.\'H.\M. The gentle- 
man, whose name heads this sketch, 
has long been recognized as one 
of Warren's most prominent and influential 
citizens, and his name is known throughout 
this section of the state. Being a m;m of ex- 
traordiiiar_\- business sagacity, keen insight. 
and untiring energy, it is not surprising tliat 
he stands at the head of all local enterprises, 
and that his life and efforts have been 
crowned with success. He was born in Tomp- 
kins County. N. Y.. January 25. 1829. and is a 
grandson of Thoiuas Dunhaiu. and son of 
Ivichard and Eaura (.\llen) Dunham. 

Thomas I3unham. the paternal grandfather, 
migrated in 1805 from X"ew Jersey to Ovid 
townshi]), Tompkins County. X. Y., and for 
several vears was engaged in farming in that 
county. Later he moved to Steuben County, 
X. Y., where he died January 22. 1845, at the 
age of se\ent\-nine vears. He was the father 
of eight children, seven of whom were sons. 
Richard Dunham, the fifth child, and f;uher of 
Minor P>.. was born in Xew Jersey in 1802. and 
when but three years old. mo\ed to 'i"oiu])kins 
County with his father. He received a good 
education at Ithaca. Tompkins County. X. Y.. 
and when he reached the age of eighteen began 
teaching school, ami. altliough he became the 
owner of a farm soon after begimiing to teach, 
he continued this vocation until 1832, when he 
exchauijcd his fariu in Xew York state for one 



16 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



in Warren Connty, Pa. In July. 1826, Rich- 
ard Dunham married Laura Allen, a daughter 
of Enos Allen, of Yates County, N. Y., and a 
descendant of Ethan Allen, the famous Revo- 
lutionary leader of the Green Mountain Boys. 
She was born in Salisbury, Herkimer County, 
N. Y., in 1805, and moved to Yates County in 
1817. 

In March. 1833. Richard Dunham settled 
on his new fami in what is now known as 
Cherry Grove. Warren County. Pa. Here he 
built a cabin on the site where afterward the 
first and greatest oil-well was developed, in 
the town of Garfield. Garfield, at that time. 
was full of wild animals, and the soil was un- 
cultivated, and when Mr. Dunham reached 
there, the weather was very inclement, and the 
ground was covered with snow sixteen inches 
deej). Tn the month of July, he liegan the life 
of a lumbennan, at first entering the employ of 
a firm engaged in constructing a saw-mill and 
dam, but soon afterward bought out the in- 
terest of one of the partners, and later that of 
the other. He soon moved to Shefiield. War- 
ren County, where he had been preceded by 
Timothy and Erastus Barnes, — the only other 
inhabitants. — and the history of the township 
refers to many of his enterprising business op- 
erations therein. He was very active in the 
politics of the county, and for twenty consecu- 
tive vears held the office of justice of the jieace 
of Sheffield. He continued to deal extensively 
in the lumber business until i85C». when he was 
compelled to retire. Mr. Dunham was a man 
of the strictest morals and highest principles, 
and he instilled into his children the same ex- 
cellent traits. When his death occurred, in 



Warren in 1870. he was deeply mourned by all, 
for he was known as one of the most remark- 
al)le and enterprising men in the community. 
His widow, who is much loved and greatly es- 
teemed by all, is at present living near her son. 
Minor 1!. Dunham. She was the mother of 
eleven children, six sons and five daughters, 
of whom nine reached maturity, and eight are 
still li\ing. 

Minor B. Dunham, whose name heads this 
biography, received his primary instruction in 
the schools of Sheffield, Warren County, Pa. 
He also attended school in Havana, Schuyler 
County, X. Y.. and in Alfred, Allegany Coun- 
ty, X. Y.. and completed his education at the 
age of twenty-one. During his schooling, 
howe\er, he had learned much of business af- 
fairs, having had the entire management of 
his father's business as early as 1846, — on ac- 
count of the latter's feeble health. When 
twelve years of age. Minor B. Dunham made 
his first trip to Pittsburg, and his schooling 
was continued interruptedly afterward. He 
continued his trips to Pittsburg and Cincin- 
nati, after 1845, ^^ith great regularity. In 
1858 he purchased his father's homestead and 
all the property, which for two years previous 
he had managed after his father's retirement, 
and this j^roperty he has continued to increase 
up to the ])resent time. Owing to the growing 
scarcitv of timl)er in and about Sheffield. Mr. 
Dunham sold out his interests there in 1865 
and removed his base of operations to Cherry 
Grove, and Watson. About 1868 he con- 
nected himself with a lumber-yard and plan- 
ing-mill in Sharpsburg. a suburb of Pittsburg, 
retaining, however, his business at Cherry 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



Grove, which lie still conthicts. After dispos- 
ing of his plant in Sliarpshnrg in 1871 he took 
lip his residence in Warren, where, in 1876, he 
erected his present dwelling. In 1874 he and 
three other hnsiness men of Warren started a 
sash factory where stands the one now owned 
by L. D. W'etniore, and he retained his interest 
in this business for four _\-ears. Always keep- 
ing" well abreast of the times, and seeing the 
advantage of all modern imi)rovements, Mr. 
Dunham has changed his old methods of raft- 
ing his lumber down the stream, by utilizing 
the more modern raiUxaw in order to compete 
the lietter with rivals in trade. Mr. Duidiam 
is mostlv engaged in sending his manufac- 
tured luml)er to Philadelphia and other eastern 
markets, and in this wa\' he has opened a local 
industry which has ])ro\en of great benefit to 
Cherry Groxe. as well as to Warren and the 
general vicinity. He is also interested in tim- 
bered lands and mills in Forest Count}-, Pa., 
and in West \'irginia. The timber having Idc- 
conie scarce, however, in these fields, Mr. 
Dunham |)urchased an interest in large tracts 
of timber land, located by a former partner, 
Mr. Watson, in the \iciuity of Puget Sound. 
Washington, where the lir and cedar trees at- 
tain an enormous size, and have never before 
l)een cut b_\' the woodman's ax. It is a splen- 
did field and promises to become the most 
lucrative of any in which Mr. Dunham has 
ever been interested. 

.\side from his indi\'idual interests, Mr. 
Dunham has been associated with Col. L. F. 
WatS(_)n in lumbering since if'^d. when they 
1)OUght large tr.acts of timber land, and he has 
also taken part in other \entures. He has been 



director in the Warren Savings Bank for 
twehe or fifteen years, and also has some min- 
ing interests. I'iecently. he has been engaged 
in ojjerating for oil in the Shamburg and old 
Pit Hole districts in Pennsybania, and has 
been successful. He is also associated with 
the Celeron Comjiany, at the lower end of 
Chautaucpia Pake, near the city of Jamestown. 
.\. \'. This localit}- is now famous throughout 
Xew York. I\'nusyl\auia and adjoining states 
as a pleasure resort, and to Mr. Dunham has 
been given the credit of superintending the 
most notable impro\-ements there. For sev- 
eral months Mr. Dunham, in company witli 
his son, G. H. l^unham, .V. J. Plazeltine and 
1\. 1). Stelzing. has been engaged in building 
an electric railroad from Pleasantville, \'e- 
nango Count}-, to Hyde Town. Crawford 
County, passing through Titus\-ille. Pa., and 
making a stretch of ten miles, which is now in 
successful operation. These gentlemen are 
sole owners of the power-house and the entire 
equipment, and it is needless to say that the 
road, thus far, has been a constant source of 
cnjo}inent to the ])Cople who lixe near it. 

Mr. Dunham has been much iutercsteil in 
man\- alTairs outside of his inisiness projects, 
and lias contributed largel}- to the buibling of 
a line church for the Methodist Fpiscopal so- 
ciety, and also to the erection of one of the 
most elegant and finel}- ecpiippetl V. M. C. .\. 
buildings in .Vorlhw estern Penns}-lvania. He 
has been a member of the Methodist church 
for over forty years, and has a personal ac- 
ipiaintance with almost ever}- minister in the 
Methodist b^jiscopal ci inference of Erie. He 
is a "reat friend to educational institutes, and 



48 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



annually conti-il)utes to the support of a profes- 
sorship in Allegheny College. Many of his 
charitahle acts are never made known to the 
public, as he is a man of modest and retiring 
disposition. Though Mr. Dunham has never 
sought ])olitical favors, he has always heen an 
ardent and lirm snpitorter of the Republican 
party. 

Mr. Dunham married. February i. 1852, 
Mary M. I'er.son, a daughter of Harrison Per- 
son of Ellery, Chautau(|ua County. N. Y.. and 
this union has resulted in four children, name- 
Iv: Clara K., born August 23. 1853. and died 
b\d)ruary 6. 1S75; George H., born in Octo- 
l)er. 1854: Frank, born .\pril 15, 1856, and 
died one vear later from an accidental fall; and 
Jessie M., born in .\pril, 1862. George H. was 
educated at Union College, and at a business 
college in Pittsburg, and married Fanny Cros- 
by of Steuben County, N. V., in 1884: he is 
a successful lumber and oil merchant, and is 
now secretarv and manager of the 'i'ilusville 
Electric Traction Railroad Company. Jessie 
M. is named in honor of Jessie (Benton) Fre- 
mont, the wife of John C. Fremont; she is the 
wife of Dr. Richard F^>. Stewart, to whom she 
was married in January. 1883. 

Mr. Dimham is greatly honored in the com- 
numit\', and is a leader in all works for the 
public good. F.eing a man of wealth, which 
is const.'uitlv increasing, he gives largely to all 
charitable .affairs, liis numerous business en- 
terprises, and his public-spirited character, bid 
fair to l)ring him still more |)rominently before 
the peojjle of the Keystone State. The por- 
trait of Air. Dunham that appears on a pre- 
ceding page will be \iewed with interest by all 
the readers of this vohune. 



2)k()R(;1' W. wood, senior 



/ w' J'j;i\ui'. w . wtHMJ. senior memner 
y^^l of the firm of (]. R. Wood's Sons, of 
Sheffield. I'.i.. is an esteemed and 
worthy citi/cn of Warren County, Pennsyl- 
\ani;i. The i^lant manufactures tanners' liquor 
logs, wooden water ])ipes, hunber, shingles, 
and l)uilding timbers of all kinds. He was 
born in Warren County. Pa., while his father, 
the late George Robinson Wood, who was 
identified with the lumber interests all his 
days, was born in Erie County, Pa. His first 
venture in the lumber business was at Youngs- 
ville. Pa. Later he was engaged in Mill Creek, 
l^a.. and in 1873, in company with James A. 
Cidbertson. he established the business now 
owned and ojierated bv his sons at Sheffield. 
At that time he built large and commodious 
mills for the manufacture of wooden water- 
pipes and wooden pumps; these were fitted 
out with the latest and best machinery of that 
day — all of which was operated by steam 
power. Air. Wood purchased the land upon 
which to build his plant, and also the lumber 
used in the manufacture of the above-named 
articles, from the firm of fforton, Crary & 
Comiianv. From 1875 to 1880 Joseph Press- 
Iv was a memlier of the firm. At the latter 
date Messrs. Culbertson and Pressly sold their 
interest, and the business was conducted 
mider the name of G. R. Wood. In 1889 the 
death of the latter caused another change in 
the name of the firm, which thereafter was 
known as ''G. I-;. Wood's Sons." This firm, 
which still continues, is composed of George 
W. an.l Charles L. Wood. 

.Manv additions have been made to the 
original ]ilant. among them a planing mill, a 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



factory for oil-well supplies, etc. The present 
firm deals, also, in sashes, doors, and house 
furnishing tinihcrs. Since he l)ecaine a mem- 
ber of the hrm, (ieorge W. Wood has liad 
complete control of the entire business, and 
the success of the firm is largely due to his 
untiring energy and zeal. Mr. Wood deserves 
great credit for the able manner in which he 
has conducted the business since the plant has 
been under his management. 

George Robinson Wood, father of our suli- 
ject, was an energetic, successful business 
man, and won the esteem and confidence of a 
large circle of friends and acquaintances. Be- 
sides building the plant above described, and 
a handsome residence adjoining, he built on a 
portion of the same land, in 1884, a very^ sub- 
stantial skating rink, which has since been 
modeled into a block of dwelling houses, and 
now contains a number of beautiful homes. 
He also owned a fine farm in Erie County, 
which he cultivated many years. Early in the 
"eighties" he purchased large tracts of tim- 
ber on Bulls Hill, which he cleared off, and 
manufactured the timber into marketable lum- 
ber. 

He was united in marriage with Rebecca 
.\. Culbertson. a sister of James .\. Culljert- 
son, and also a natve of Erie County, Pa. 
Their union was blessed with the following 
eight children: Flora, Carrie, Mary. Margaret, 
George W., Charles L., Jennie D., and Wil- 
liam C. Flora is deceased: Carrie is now the 
wife of C. H. Smith, a prominent merchant 
of Sheffield: Mar\- is now the leading milliner 
of Sheffield, Pa.; Margaret is the wife of C. J. 
Gibson, also of Sheffield: George W. is the 



subject of this historic review: Charles L. mar- 
ried Ida Taylor. He is junior member of G. 
R. Wood's Sons' Manufacturing Company, of 
.Sheffield, and is also a member of the West- 
ern Reserve Lumber Company. IuuiIkm' deal- 
ers of Warren, C^hio. The latter business 
commands the greater part of his attention. 
Jennie 13. is the wife of H. F. Schade. of Shef- 
field, Pa., and \\'illiam C. is also a resident of 
Sheffield. 

George W. Wood received his ])rimary edu- 
cation in Erie C<;>unty. Pa., after which he 
took a finishing course in the Sheffield Union 
School. He started out in life by entering the 
employ of his father. While thus engaged he 
had ample opportunit\' to become familiar 
with all the details of the different branches 
of the manufacturing of lumber, and soon be- 
came a verv proficient workman: hence his 
success as the present manager of the busi- 
ness is looked upon as a matter of course. In 
his political views he is an earnest Prohilii 
tionist. while his religious opinions coinciilc 
with the doctrines of the Presb\'terians. 



's^OHX R. SMITH. Prominent among 
the energetic workers and good citizens 
of the Thirty-seventh Juilicial District 
of Pennsylvania, stands John R. Smith, the 
efficient superintendent of the Snnth Oil & 
Refining plant, and also chief burgess of the 
flourishing little borough of North Clarendon. 
Mead townshiji. In March, 1897, he was 
elected chief burgess. Previous to the discov- 
ery of oil this place was only a flag-station on 
the Pa. R. R. Oil was discovered on the Tohn 



50 



HOOK or BIOGRAPHIES 



Argon farm; this was the small, rough piece 
of land upon which Xorlli Clarendon now 
stands. The oil from the first prove<l to he 
not only ainuidant, hut of the hest (|uality. 
and many hundred wells are now oi)erated 
there successfully. Hence the oil iridustry is 
the life oi the place, and many ])eople have 
heen attracted there, until North Clarendon 
is now a progressive, flourishing horough. 
with a ])opulation of i .Soo. containing strictly 
up-to-ilate stores, three hotels, four churches, 
a fme graded school an abundant supply of 
w ater, gas works, etc. 

Our subject's grandfather, John Smith, of 
German ancestry, was horn in ITeidelberg 
township, Lehigh Count}-, Pa., where he fol- 
lowed the occupation of a farmer all his life. 
He was a man of ]M'actical and progressive 
ideas, and his methods were considered the 
best. He owned several fine farms, which he 
culti\'ated with much success. His wife was 
a Miss Kidms. before her marriage. He lived 
to the adxanced age of sevent_\--fi\'e years, but 
his com])anion died much _\ounger. Six chi d- 
ren were l)orn to them: John: Stephen: Gid- 
eon: Sarah, who became the wife of Mr. Hun- 
sicker; Catherine, who married Mr. Krum: 
and Lydia, who also married a Mr. 1 limsicker. 

Gideon Smith, father of the sulijcct of this 
sketch, inherited from his father a tine farm in 
Lowhill township, Lehigh Count}', I'a.. where 
he also followed farming. Through the train- 
ing of a successful father, he became one of 
the leading farmers of the flay. La'.er in life 
he sold the farm inherited from his father, and 
purchased a smaller one at Weidasville, where 
he j)ractically retired from active life. His 



wife was Eliza Rebert, a daughter of John 
Kebert, before her marriage. She preceded 
her husband to the grave many years, at the 
age of forty-six years, while he lived to Ijc 
seventy-three years cjld. She bore her hus- 
band ten children, all except one of whom 
Ii\ed to nibble manhood and womanhood, and 
are still among the living. The following are 
their names: Harrison; Wilson; Levi; John 
1\.: I""rank: David, who died at the age of ten 
\ears: Leana; Sarah: Eliza and Amelia. 

John R. Smith was born on his father's farm 
in Lowhill township, Lehigh County, Pa. 
.\ugust 24, 1847. In his youth he attended 
public school and learned the Cjerman and 
English languages. He served two years' ap- 
prenticeship at agricultural mechanics, but did 
not like it. Being desirous of seeing more of 
the world, at the age of twenty, he started 
west and located at Pit Hole, \'enango Coun- 
ty, Pa., where he obtained a situation as pump- 
er. The oil excitement was then in its in- 
fancv. He decided to remain there for a w hi!e 
and was eventually made superintendent of 
P. Schreiber's oil fields. He held that posi- 
tion for thirteen consecutive years, discharg- 
ing his duties to the entire satisfaction of all 
concerned. At the close of that. time, he re- 
signed, and accepted a similar position with G. 
\'. Foreman, of Olean. Xew ^■ork. F"or three 
vears he superintended all the territory be- 
longing to Mr. I'^oreman. including the Alle- 
ganv territory. At the close of that time Mr. 
l'"oreman sold his interest to the .\ssociated 
Producers Company, and Mr. Smith was 
transferred to Butler County. Pa., and placed 
in charge of a territorv there. For six vears 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



61 



lie held tliis position, hut tlic lonj^:. roufi^h rides 
were injurious lo his heahh. and caused him 
to resign in i<S()i, in (irder to acee])t the su- 
])erintendene\ of the Sniitli ( )il retinery at 
North Chu'endon. his ])resent hicrative posi- 
tion, lie has a vast amount of work to su- 
perintend, as this is one of the largest and 
hest helts in that section. I'y his gentlemanly 
manner and faithful discharge of his duties, he 
has won the contidence and esteem of his em- 
ploN'ers, and of the citizens of North Claren- 
don. 

The suhject of our sketch was united in 
marriage with Sarah Saeger, a daughter of 
Stephen Saeger, a highly respected citizen of 
Copley, Leiiigh County. Pa. Their family 
consisted of five children: George P.. Harry 
R., Lulu, Grace and J. Paul. The first named, 
after iiassing through the high school at \\'ar- 
ren. Pa., and the Pennsylvania State College, 
left America in Octoher, 1898, to take a course 
in German, and to complete his musical edu- 
cation at the Leipzig Conservatory, in Ger- 
many. Plarry R. is a student of Westmins- 
ter College; Lulu and Grace hoth died young; 
J. Paul is a student at home. Mr. Siiiith is 
a stanch Re])nhlican. He is also a memlier 
of the Masonic fraternity. 



y /R.\ T. I1.\ZELTIXE, manager of The 

J I'i'^o (^inipany and vice-president of 

the Citizens' National I'.ank of Warren, 
secured the fornud;i. of the now celehrated 
Piso's Cure for Consumption in 18(13. It was 
while he was associate<l in the drug business 
with Hon. S. P. Johnson, under the lirm name 



of Hazeltine & Co.. that he heard of some 
remark;d)Ie cures heing effected hy this reme- 
d_\' and determined to secure the formula and 
manufacture the medicine. I le began b\- i)re- 
pariug a few dcjzen bottles and offering them 
for sale at his drug store. Tdie demand, when 
once its \irtues became known, increased rap- 
idly. .\n adjoining room was rented and then 
a room on the third floor of the J(.ihnson 
Block. In 1870 the business had grown so 
large that more room was necessary, hence 
a factory on the Island was established and 
the f;icilities for manufacturing were increased 
to the capacity of two thousand bottles ]3er 
hour. From the start the business was. a suc- 
cess and its growth was rapid and solid. In 
1886 a new brick building was erected and in 
1894 the firm previously known as E. T. 
Hazeltine was incorporated as The Piso Com- 
pany. 

Piso's Cure for Consumption and I^iso's 
Remedy for Catarrh are known and used all 
over the world, and the manufacture, sale and 
advertising of these remedies give emi)loy- 
ment to over seventy-five persons. The estab- 
lishment is a model of its kind and exhibits 
the characteristics of its founder and manager, 
IL T. Hazeltine. Nearly e\ery one of the 
man\' oi)erations in the compounding, bot^ 
tling and pre]:)aration for shipment of these 
medicines in\olves the use of some peculiar 
and useful machine (M- de\ice which has lieen 
invented or atlapted by yiv. Hazeltine himself 
or by some of his force under his eye antl 
direction. 

The daily ontimt of The Piso Cure is sev- 
eral thousand l.iottles. and this is done with 



S2 



UdOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



apparent ease and regularity. The building is 
spacious, light ;in<l airy, and c\erv niachiiir 
runs like a clock. Manx xouni;' men liaxe 
liccii strengthened and nian\- voung \\(inien 
have been helped liy the discipline of Mr. 
llazeltinc's firni, but kindlx- rule. He is a 
bu.siness man and ne\er loses sight of the in- 
terests of his ]iartners. but he regards his abil- 
ity to employ labor as a trust and he faith- 
fully administers it to the great benefit of the 
connmmit}- in which he li\-es. He is as inde- 
faligably industrious, as simple in life, and as 
modest in character now as in the da\' of his 
small l)eginning: he is interested in every 
enterprise for the bettering of the condition 
of the people in his town, and is lavish in his 
generosity to all worthy undertakings. 

Ezra T. Hazeltine was born on the old fam- 
ily homestead in Bnsti. Chautauqua Count}'. 
X. ^'.. in 1836. and is a son of Edwin and 
Mary (.Abbott) Hazeltine. He is a grandson 
of Daniel Hazeltine, a native of \'ermont, who 
with his sons located at Jamestown, N. V. 
Uaniel Hazeltine was engaged in agricultural 
pursuits and died in middle age. He was 
united in marriage with Susanna Jones, who 
lived to reach an advanced age. Thev were 
the parents of Edwin Hazeltine, the father of 
our subject, who was l)orn in W'indhan; 
Count}-. \'t.. but at the age of seventeen }ears 
moved to Chautauqua Count}-, X. V. There 
he took up the trade of a woolen manufac- 
turer, following it several years, after which 
he took to f.arming in lUisti. X. Y. He !i\-ed 
a long and useful life and died at the age of 
eighty-five years. He was joined in hymeneal 
bonds with Marv Abbott, a daughter of Ste- 



phen .\bbott of Chautauqua County, and she 
attained the age of eighty years before sub- 
mitting to the inevitable. They were the par- 
ents of the following children: Chloe (Froth- 
inghamj; Ezra T., whose name heads these 
lines; Clark; Herbert; Eleanor (Temple); 
Laura (Williams); Sarah (Smith), and Edwin. 
Politically Mr. Hazeltine was a \\diig, whilst 
in religions attachments he was a member of 
the Congregational Church. 

Ezra T. Hazeltine attended the puldic 
schools in his district, and also the Jamestown 
.\cademy, after which he engaged in teaching 
a number of terms in the states of Pennsyl- 
vania. Xew York, and Iowa. He went to Iowa 
in 1859 with the intention of following farm- 
ing, but in i860 he returned east and located 
at Warren, Warren County, Pa., where he be- 
came a clerk in the drug store of Hazeltine & 
Compan}-. He later became a partner in the 
Inisiness, and continued until 1868, when he 
disposed of his interest in order to devote his 
entire attention to the manufacture of the Piso 
Cures. He has since been classed among the 
foremost citizens of Warren, and is connected 
with numerous business \-entures. being treas- 
urer of the Hazeltine Woolen Company; pres- 
ident of the Conewango Building & Loan 
.Association; treasurer of the K. H. Kimiear 
Manufacturing Company, and \-ice-president 
of the Citizens' Xational Bank of Warren. 

In 1858 our subject was joined in marriage 
with Rachel Knapp, a daughter of Hiram 
Knap]i, of Busti, X. Y., and their union is 
blessed b}- the following issue: Caroline, the 
wife of T. E. Cook, of North \\'arren; 
Fre('ir" ;! a graduate of Oberlin College, and 




ABRAM J. HAZELTIXE. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH Jl'DICIAL DISTRICT 



55 



publisher of the South Bend Journal at South 
Bend, Wasliington (married to Amy Wood, 
and liaving- a daughter, Lclia); and James E., 
who attended the St. Louis Manual Training 
Sclidol at Washington University, graduated 
from the electrieal engineering department of 
the Massaehusetts Institute of Technology, 
with the class of 1898, and is now employed 
by the United States Electric Light Company 
of the city of ^Vashington, D. C. Religiously, 
our subject is an adherent to the faith of tlie 
Methodist Episcopal Church. 




BRAIM J. HAZELTINE, whose por- 
trait is shown on the opposite page, 
is prominently identified with the 
business interests of the Ijorough of Warren, 
being president of the Warren Savings Bank, 
and the Cornplanter Refining Company, one 
of the leading industries of this section, and 
among tlie first established in East Warren. 
At first it was capitalized to the extent of $10,- 
000. Init its growth has been so marked that 
the \alnation of the property of the company 
now runs up to nearly one-third of a million 
of dollars. The company is fortunate in hav- 
ing as its president one of the shrewdest and 
most able business men of the town in the 
person of Abram J. Hazeltine. 

The subject of this personal history is a son 
of .\braliam and Jane (Morrison) Hazeltine, 
and was born in Busti, Chautauqua County, 
\. v., .\ugust 30, 18.4.7. He is a grandson of 
Daniel Hazeltine, a native of Vermont, who 
came of good, old New England stock, being 
a descendant of Robert Hazeltine who came 



from Yorkshire, England, to Salem, Mass., in 
1637. He li\-ed in the state of his birth during 
his entire life. 

Abraliam Hazeltine, father of our subject, 
was born at W'ardsboro, Vt.. where he received 
his ju\enile schooling and spent his boyhood 
days. He sul)se(iuently attended Brattleboro 
Academy, and took a course in medicine in 
Dartmouth College, after which he removed 
to Warren, \\'arren Count}', Pa., where he en- 
tered into practice, being the first regular prac- 
titioner of the place. There he resided and 
practiced with much success imtil 1840, when 
he moved to Busti, N. Y., in order to care for 
his mother in her declining years, that I)cing 
her place of residence. He was joinetlin the 
holy bonds of wedlock with Susanna Walkup, 
a native of Chautauqua County, X. Y., who 
died in early life, leaving three children, as fol- 
lows: Thomas W., deceased; Daniel C, de- 
ceased: and Louisa, the wife of Rev. .\. K. 
Fox, who now lives at Demnark, Iowa. He 
formed a second matrimonial alliance with 
Jane Morrison, a daughter of Benjamin Morri- 
son of Jerseyshore, Lycoming County, Pa., by 
whom he also had three children, namely: Dr. 
William V., who is also represented in this 
work; Lewis M. of Warren; and Abram J., 
whose name heads these lines. Dr. Hazeltine 
was always a very active man in public affairs, 
and was elected president of the first projected 
railroad that was organized in the early days 
of the history of ^\^'u•ren. He was also the 
first treasurer of the Warren school district. 
He was originally a Congregationalist in his 
religious attachments, but later joined the 
Presbyterian Church. He died in 1847. at the 



56 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



age of tiflv years, and liis wife survived him 
many years, dying in 1894, aged eighty-two. 
Ahram J. Hazeltine spent his younger days 
in Busti, X. V., and there accjuired a good ed- 
ucation, after wliich lie accepted a clerical ])Osi- 
tion in a store, at the age of fourteen years. 
Continuing in that capacity for four years, he 
was taken into partnersiiip witli the^ tirni, al- 
though Init cigliteen years old. He continued 
in the mercantile line for some years, acquiring 
a comprehensive knowledge of general busi- 
ness alTairs. In iSfjfj he resigned the i^osition 
which he then held, — that of deputy clerk of 
the board of supervisors of Chautauqua Coun- 
ty, N. ^'., — and. mo\ing lo Warren, Pa., ac- 
cepted the position of bookkeeper for The 
Piso Company. In March, 1870, his connec- 
tion with banking interests Ijegan, when he 
entered the First National Bank of Warren as 
a bookkeeper. He acted in that capacity but 
a few months, being made teller in September 
of the same year. Being a faithful and con- 
scientious worker, his services were always in 
demand, and in February, 1872. he was called 
to accept tlie position of cashier of the Warren 
Sax'ings Bank, and ser\ed as such until iS8'j. 
It was then necessary to fill the vacanc} left by 
L. F. Watson, the former j^resident of tlie 
bank, and l)ecause of his long experience in 
the affairs of the bank and of his tried ability. 
Air. Hazeltine was selected for the ]jlace. He 
still holds that office, and that the great con- 
fidence rcj)osed in him has not been misplaced 
is amply evidenced by the standing of the 
bank. Mr. Hazeltine is also a director of the 
\\'arren Electric Light Company, and ])resi- 



dent of the C()rn])]anter Refining Companv. 
one of the chief concerns of the l)orough. 

The Cornplanter Refining Company is of- 
ficered by these well-known ))usiness men: .\. 
J. Hazeltine. i)resident: John C. Goal, vice- 
president (who is a ])rominent oil ])roducer and 
refiner): W. 1). Todd, general manager; E. 
E. .Mien, treasurer: and W. F. Messner, sec- 
retary. The iM'inci])al buildings of the Corn- 
planter Refining Company are situated on the 
main line of the Western New* York & Penn- 
s_\lvania Railroad, where the facilities for ship- 
ping are excellent. The company has its own 
pipe-line system, which runs south into the 
Foxlnirg territory, and throughout Forest 
County. Producers all through this section 
extensively patronize their si.xty miles of pipe 
lines. Their refinery at East Warren obtains 
oil directly from the wells by means of pipe 
lines, and the surplus oil is kept in great stor- 
age tanks. The company has additional fa- 
cilities for shipping oil by means of the tank 
car system, which they own and directly con- 
trol. These cars freighted with their \aluable 
product are shipped to many points, from the 
extreme of Canada to Te.xas, Colorado, and 
l)ak(jta. Their western interests hax'e so 
largely increased that it has lieen founil im- 
perative to establish two plants, one at St. 
Paul and the other at Alinneapolis, as distrib- 
uting centers. From these places their west- 
ern customers are able to obtain goods almost 
immediately upon application. The company 
also has branches at Philadelphia and Balti- 
more, as w ell as at Pittsburg and Boston. Of 
late, shipments have regularly been made from 
Philadelphia to London: this branch of the 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



57 



business was first begun in an experimental 
way, and lias proved very successful. The 
])mduct of the Cornplanter Refineries consists 
of cylinder oils, engine and machine oils, il- 
hnniiiating and neutral oils, and other oils for 
special purposes. Their paraline wax is 
another article which they i)roduce in large 
(|uantitics. Their oils are all made f)y the most 
approved chemical processes to obtain the best 
results, and the company is backed by an 
abundance of capital, enabling the manage- 
ment to perfect their processes by careful ex- 
periments. They have a vast group of build- 
ings lying along the railroad, and every de- 
partment is equipped with perfect machinery. 
It may be of interest to note here that the 
name "Cornplanter" was originally that of an 
Indian chief. li\-ing in the Allegheny Valley, 
who ]i\'ed to the advanced age of one hundred 
and one years. He was a famous chieftain of 
his day, and it was one of his trilje who first 
discovered petroleum on Oil Creek. The great 
business of the Cornplanter Refining Com- 
pany seems destined to carry his name all o\er 
the civilized world. 

On June 4, 1868, Mr. Hazeltine was united 
in matrimony with Hattie E. Davis, a daugh- 
ter of Darius M. Davis of Busti, N. Y., and 
they are the parents of four children: Harold 
D., Blanche M.. Hugh V., and Grace A. Har- 
old D. graduated from Brown University in 
1894, and from the Har\ard Law School in 
1898, and is now taking an advanced course in 
law at the Um'versity of Berlin, Germany. He 
is a member of the American Historical So- 
ciety, and several years ago prepared a paper 
for that bodv. Hugh V. is a member of the 



class of 1899 of Brown University. Politically 
our subject is a Republican, and has served on 
the school boarti and in the borough council. 
He is a member of the Baptist Church, and has 
served as deacon since 1871. He takes an ear- 
nest interest in all undertakings which tend to 
promote the educational and moral standing 
of the conununity. lie was for many years 
a member and treasurer of the board of con- 
trol of the public library, and president of the 
Y. M. C. A., of Warren. ^Ir. Hazeltine is 
also a member of the executive committee of 
the Pennsylvania State Bankers' Association, 
and has been favorably mentioned for the 
presidency of that body. 




M. PUTNAM, of the firm of Fran- 
cis &- Putnam, who own and operate a 
large flouring mill at Columbus, 
Pa., has owned a half-interest in the mill 
since 1895, and since that time has been its 
sole nian.ager and superintendent. Mr. Put- 
nam's experience in milling dates back a good 
many }ears. He has fidl charge of the opera- 
tion of the mill, and his wide experience and 
superior educational advantages eminently 
ipialif}' him for the responsible position lie 
occupies. The mill is one of the largest ca- 
pacity, and in addition to the flour and buck- 
wheat made, turns out a large quantity of 
feed; it is a source of pride to the inhabitants 
of that flourishing town, furnishing regular 
employment to many (jf its laborers. The sub- 
ject hereof was born in \\'arren. Pa.. Septem- 
ber 17, 1850, and is a son oi N'alcntine ami 
Martha (Mackres) Putnam — his mother be- 
ing of .Scotch parentage. 



68 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



The Putnams arc an old ami well known 
family. The first representative of the family 
in this country was one Jolm Pntnam, one of 
the earliest settlers in Salem, l\lass.. who, "for 
the free enjoyment of the ri_L;hts of conscience 
and the liherty of worshii)in.L;' (iod in his own 
manner," left the liome nf his ymUh and cast 
his lot with ihe heroic l'il.<;rims. The original 
name of the family was I'atcnham or Puten- 
hani, and they resided in Buckinghamshire, 
England. ( )n coming to .\meiica, John Put- 
nam was acconijianied by his three sons — 
Thomas, Nathaniel, and Ji>hn. Two of his 
younger brothers alst) came with him. land- 
ing in 1634. and settling in Salem. ]\Iass., 
where they became pros])crous and indepen- 
dent farmers. E. M. Putnam is a direct de- 
scendant of Thomas, whose son, Joseph, had 
eleven children, one of whom was General 
Israel Putnam, the well-known Revolution- 
ary hero. He was an uncle of Edson Putnam, 
grandfather of E. M. Putnam, and was one of 
the most prominent characters of the Revolu- 
tionary times. 

Edson Putnam was a well-known agricul- 
turist, being a very iirominent man in his 
comnumity. He was an ardent hunter, and 
it was tluring an exciting deer hunt that he 
met his death, through heart failure. 

Valentirie Putnam, father of the subject of 
this sketch, was l)orn at Boston, Mass., in 
1828. When he was quite young his parents 
moved to \\'arren County, Pa., settling on 
Thompsor. Mill, in I'armington township, 
where young \'alcntinc was educated, and 
afterward engaged in farming, which was the 
occupation of his father, lie was united in 



marriage with Martha Mackres and thev were 
parents of the following seven children: E. 
M.. subject hereof; Edson, who died at the 
age of nine years; I'^lbcrt 1).; (Irant. who clieil 
;it the aga- of hftecn years; William: .Mice E. 
(l\il)ley); and Winnie M. (Johns(.)n). 

1'^ .M. I'ntnam received his primary educa- 
tion in E;u-mington township, afterwards at- 
tending school at Columbus and Corry. In 
1865, when fifteen years old. he met with a 
terrible accident, being thrown beneath the 
cars on a railroad track and losing a leg. 
Realizing at once that it would be impossible 
to follow agricultural pursuits, he began im- 
])ro\'ing his chances of obtaining a more thor- 
ough education, and attended the Chamber- 
lain Institute at Kandolph, X. Y., from which 
he graduated. .Nbout that time he com- 
menced the study of metlicine, continuing 
until 1871, v.'hen Mr. Erancis, whose sketch 
also appears in this volume, asked him to ac- 
cept the position of bookkeeper in his mill. 
After much serious consideration, ^Ir. Put- 
nam threw aside his medical aspirations and 
accepted the situation offered, which he filled 
\ery creditalily for a period of twehc years. 

In 1883 he went into partnership with D. 
[I. I'icebc in operating a grist mil! in Corry, 
until 188(1. lie then sold his interest to his 
paitner and bought an interest in the Atlantic 
Mills — entering into partnership with Mr. 
Starbert, under the firm name of Starbert & 
Putnam. His connection with the Atlantic 
]\lills continued until 189J, when he pur- 
chased a grist mill at Clymer, N. Y., which 
was destroyed b\- lire in 1893. Xotwith- 
standing this disctjuraging event, he at once 



TH1KTY-SE\ENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



59 



commenced rcbuildintj on tlie old site, and 
the old mill is now replacetl by one of modern 
style. Soon after its completion, A. \\' . Fran- 
cis off'ercd Mr. Pntnam an interest in the Co- 
lumljus mill, which offer was accepted by him. 
and since that time he has o])craled this mill 
very successfnlly. 

In 1874 Air. Pntnam was nnited in mar- 
riagewith Lncina \\ . I'ierce. Lncina was born 
and reared in Northeastern Pennsylvania. 
She presented her hnsband w ith one daughter, 
Cora May, born November 30, 1878, and 
educated in the schools of Corry, from which 
she graduated. Mr. Putnam is a Republican 
in his political views, and, although he has 
never sought otfice, he is at present serving 
as township auditor. He is a faithful luem- 
l)er of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of 
which he is a trustee: he is also a member of 
Jonathan Lodge. I. O. O. F. Mr. Putnam 
bears an excellent reputation for good, honest 
work, and prides himself on the general suc- 
cess which has attended all his efforts. He is 
popular and respected among his neighbors 
and fellow-citizens. 



HRISTOPHER F R E 1) K R I C K 
i G R E T T ENBERGER, familiarh 



^*- 'known as "Fred Grettenl)erger," pro- 
prietor of the machine shop in 'I'idioute, Pa., 
is one of the examples of a self-made man, so 
numerous in Warren. County, and he stands 
to-day among the enterjirising men of his 
county. He first saw the light of day on May 
6. 1848, in W'urtcmberg, Germanv. Hi.s 
father died about the time of his birtli, and 



as his mother married again, our subject was 
reared and educated by his grandmother. He 
was an apt scholar and matured young. At 
tJic early age of thirteen years, feeling him- 
self a burden to his aged grand])arent, who 
was a widow, he formed a desire to go to 
America, as many from that section had al- 
ready i)r()fitably di.ine. He obtained a promise 
from his grandmother that he could have his 
heart's desire when he had attained the age 
of fourteen years. He counted the months as 
they rolled by, and when the appointed time 
arrixed he sailed for .\merica, crossing the 
wide ocean with a Mr. ^feyers, an old ac- 
quaintance of the family. 

Our subject first settled at Economy, Pa., 
and apprenticed himself to learn the machin- 
ist's trade — working faithfully during his en- 
tire apprenticeship. At the close of his twen- 
ty-iirst year he became an independent arti- 
san, following his trade one year at Allegheny, 
Pa. He then went to the oil regions in the 
vicinity of Tidioute, Pa., where he formed a 
partnershi]) with Robert I\. Carson, and car- 
ried on a machine shop — handling general re- 
pair work for a period of eleven years. In 
the meantime ad\crse conditions had involved 
the business in such a shajjc that our subject 
lost all his capital, but not his nerve. \\'ith 
little means left, but with a strong constitu- 
tion and splendid mechanical aliilitv, he 
rented the Brayton & Logan building and 
started a small repair shop, working, of neces- 
sity, on a very small scale, at first. By perse- 
verance he built up a large business, bought 
the property previously rented, and to-day has 
a finely e(iuipped plant, containing four fine, 



00 



HOOK OK HI0(;KA1'1IIKS 



modern lathes, for lieavy work, one drill, and 

one planer, besides many small m.-ielnnes, etc. 
In the blacksmith department, wliieli is rnn 
bv a lo horse-power gas engine, lie makes 
machinery and re])airs tools — all kinds of oil- 
well tools being a specialty of his work. The 
plant contains its own dynamo. ;uid has a stor- 
age battery, tlms lighting it thrmighont, to- 
gether with Mr. Cirettenbergcr's residence, 
with electric lights. This handsome residence, 
which is in close pro.ximity to the repair 
shops, is also fitted ont and sn])i)lied with 
every modern convenience: both are snjiplied 
witii plain and gas heat, and with hot and 
cold water of the finest tpirdity. which is ob- 
tained from a well drilled by .Mr. (irettenber- 
ger in the rock. The plant fnrnishes employ- 
ment for five skilled workmen constantly. 

Our subject is also owner of what was once 
the Thompson Cider ?klills, which are oper- 
ated by his son. Charles C. Mr. Grettenber- 
ger was imited in marriage with Mary Schi- 
per. a native of Byon. Cermany. To their 
union were born nine children, namely: Chris- 
topher Frederick, who died at the tender age 
of five years; Cliarles Cliristo])hcr, who is his 
father's able assistant, es])ecially at the cider 
mills: .\llie May, wife of Rev. Mr. Hendricks 
(if ( iardner, Mass.. and mother of three chil- 
dren: Rosa: William. ;m rdilc machinist; 
Cieorge, a student; .\nnie: Julia: :md Joseph. 
In politics Mr. Grettenberger is an inde- 
pendent Democrat. He is a member of the 
I. O. O. F. Lodge of Tidionte. and also of 
the Txebecca Encamjiment — and is now royal 
l^atriarch of the same, serving his third term. 
The subject of this sketch and his family all 



unite in worshiping at the Lutheran Church. 

in his business dealings Mr. (jrettenberger is 
distinguished by liis square, honest methods, 
and conscientious scruples against taking the 
least adxantage of any one with whom he may 
chance to ha\e dealings. In the connnunity at 
large he is know n as one of the best of citizens. 




<S, SAU.MI M. LAM Kl\. widow 
of the late Charles II. Land<in. (if 
Sheflield, is a good Christian 
wTiman, and a higldy respected resident of 
\\'arren County. Pa. Charles H. Lamkin was 
born in Tompkins County. N. Y., in 1826. 
He was a son of Russell and Hannah (Earl) 
Lamkin. I'rom early Ijoyhood Charles was 
a l(.>\er of horses, and during his life he culti- 
w'lted th;it taslc, thus accp.iiring much knowl- 
e.'lge of the subject, which reu'lered him not 
only an expert in the care of horses, but also 
a \'ery comiictent judge of horseflesh. Hav- 
ing this lo\e of horses, he naturally spent his 
early life in owning and conducting a stage 
route from Ithaca to Trumansburg and Ha- 
\an:i. During that time the stage was the 
ordy con\ey;uice of tra\el used in that section. 
In iSo_> he enlisted in the Union .\rmy, 
jdining C()mpan\- 1\. Jist Reg. X. ^'. Ca\'alr\', 
wiin for himself a great record b\' his l)ra\er\', 
and was honor.ably discharged at the close of 
the war. Having friends successfully engaged 
at Shefiield, Warren County, Pa., at the close 
of the war in 1865. he went there als(T. and 
conducted the large tannery boarding-house, 
which was then located where Mrs. W'alter 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



Horlon's residence now is situated. After 
conducting that \ery successfully for a iieriod 
of eight years, ins lease ixpired. ami he 
changed his location, leasing the Lee 
House, where he conducted a iirst-class, 
strictly temperance hotel for ten years. He 
then retired from active husiness pursuits. A 
very peculiar accident deprived him of life. 
On Novemlier 30, iScjA, he went to his hath- 
room to hathe, aiid, through mistake, turned 
on the gas and was suffocated, lie was a man 
who stood high in the conununity, and he was 
deeply mourned by all who knew him. He 
was united in marriage with .Sarah M. Lee, a 
daughter of Dr. William and Almira (Lyke^ 
Lee, and granddaughter of Jeptha and Esther 
(Franklin) Lee. 

Jeptha Lee was born in the New England 
States, and ser\'ed his country during the 
Revolutionary War. His services were espe- 
ciallv valuable during the noted ])attle of 
Bunker Hill, for which he received from the 
government a bounty of 600 acres of land in 
Tompkins County, N. Y., near Cayuga Lake; 
tliis land was new and unsettled. l>ut when 
cleared it became very valuable farm land. 
Mr. Lee gave 50 acres to each of liis children, 
and the old homestead is to-day owned l\v his 
grandchild, ]\[rs. Daniel Johnson, who is 
proud of the fact that it nexer ])assed into the 
hands of strangers. Mr. Leo and his cheerful 
companion were strong and sturdy, and li\'ed 
good and useful lives, quite worthy of imita- 
tion. He died at the old homestead, at the 
advanced age of ninety years, and his com- 
jianion lived to be ninety-four years old. Their 
children were: Daniel; Amos; John; Frank- 



lin; William (and a deceased infant twin); 
Lucy: Delilah; Sally; Hannah; Polly, and a 
deceased infant twin. 

Dr. William Lee. father of our subject, \vas 
l)orn in Tompkins County, N. Y., and at the 
age of maturity entered the medical profes- 
sion, which he ])racticed all his days in his 
native vicinity. That was during the time 
designated in history as the "saddle bag 
davs." His traveling was all done on horse- 
back, and Dr. Lee. coming in sight with his 
saddle-hags, was a pleasure to the eyes of the 
pioneers for many miles around. His medical 
skill was far above that of the ordinary prac- 
titioner of his day. He died from cholera 
at the earlv age of fort\-five years. The chil- 
dren were: Sarah M., the subject of this 
sketch; Hattie, Amos, Maggie, Emma, and 
Ella. !\Iary is the widow of Leroy Trembly, 
who (lied at the age of twenty-eight years; she 
now resides in Warren, Pa. Hattie is the 
widow of Walter Hortan, and resides at Shef- 
field. Amos, who never married, built the Lee 
House at Sheffield, Pa.; he is now deceased. 
Maggie became the wife of Nelson Updyke; 
both of them are now deceased. Emma died 
young; Ella is now the widow of Oscar \\"i\- 
liams of Nicholson, l^a. 

^frs. L.'unkin has one daughter. Evelyn, to 
whom she is devotedly attached; the latter is 
now the wife of C. Washington Reed Rade- 
kcr, a narrative of whose life appears else- 
where in this volume. Mrs. Lamkin's hus- 
band was a member of the G. A. R., and both 
earlv in life became acti\e members of the 
M. v.. Church. 



liOUK OF BIOGRAPHIES 




11K0130RI': L. PUTNAM, justice of 
the peace of Russell, Pine Grove town- 
ship, Warren County. Pa., was born in 
Farmington township, in the same county, 
December 30, 1834. He received a good edu- 
cation in the jniljlic schools, after which, for 
a periotl of four years, he tauglu school dur- 
ing the winters and engaged in farming in the 
sunnner. He subsequently learned the 
wagonmakcr"s trade, buving a part of the 
.\keley farm, where he built his present house 
and shop, and continued working at his trade 
for many years. He also owns other lands in 
the same townshiji. That he enjoys the con- 
fidence and esteem of the citizens is jiroven by 
his having been a public servant for so man\- 
years. He is now serving his fourth term as 
justice of the peace and has been assessor 
twelve years, county auditor one term, countv 
commissioner one term, and school director 
for a long period. He is a son of Daniel 
PiUnam and grandson of Jesse Putnam. 

Jesse Putnam was born in the state of New 
Hampshire and was a direct descendant of 
John Putnam, who came from luigland and 
settled in Mas.sachusclts in 1^)34. Jesse set- 
tled near Brattleboro. \'t.. where he was 
a tiller of the soil until 181 1, removing at 
that time to PJoston township. Erie County, 
N. v., where he again engaged in agricultural 
pursuits, continuing that occupation the re- 
mainder of his active days. Retiring from 
farm life, he accompanied his son Daniel, in 
1830, to Farmington township, Warren 
County, Pa., and s])ent his closing davs free 
from care. His remains now lie buried in the 
Thompson Hill Cemetery of that township. 



Rebecca Putnam became his wife and died be- 
fore he left .\ew luigland. h;i\ing borne him 
the f<)llowing nine children: Daniel, our sub- 
ject's father: Fdison: Jesse: Sally: Rebecca; 
Susan: Iluld.ih: I'hloe. and Eunice. 

Daniel Putnam was born near Brattleboro, 
\'t. in 1S30 he purchased 100 acres of new 
land in I'armington townshi]), Warren 
County, Pa. At that time there were no 
roads, only trails, and but \erv few settlers 
in that |)art of the county. He cleared the 
farm now owned by Sextus King and ])lantcd 
the orcharil. still standing and bearing abun- 
dant fruit. Later he owned the farm known 
as the "Carlson farm." in the same township, 
building a \'ery sulistantial set of buildings 
there, some of which are still standing. He 
was considered a splendid farmer by the peo- 
l)le in his locality, where he had many friends. 
In his religious views he entertained very lib- 
eral ideas, contributing to the support of all 
denominations, but having no favorite one. 
Death came to him without warning. One 
day he went to Russell on a mdling trip, and, 
while standing in the door of the mill during 
a heavy thunderstorm, was struck by light- 
ning and instantly killed. His wife was Betty 
Barrett, of Onondaga County, X. Y. She 
died in 1869. They were the jiarents of eleven 
children: Angelina: Si<lney: Mary: Perry: 
Clarissa, who died in early childhood: Sarah 
Jane; Ahnira: I'^liza Ann; Xanc}- Mauley, anil 
Theodore L. 

Theodore L. Putnam was united in mar- 
riage with Abigail Akeley, a winsome daugh- 
ter of Joseph Akeley, one of the early settlers 
of Russell. Their home was brightened by 




WILLIAM J. GKANDIN. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



the presence of the following children: Flora 
Idella, Homer AI., Inez E., Lynn D. and 
Glenn J. Flora Idella is the wife of 1). H. 
Gregor\-, a farmer of Pine Grove township. 
They have one daughter, Inez. Homer M. is 
count}- sui)erintendent of schools of Warren 
County, Pa.; liis sketch is presented elsewhere 
in this work. Inez E. is a very successful 
school teacher. Lynn D. manufactures ax 
handles at Russell; he chose for his wife Mary 
Patterson and has two children, Howard D. 
and Lloyd Patterson. Glenn J., a twin 
brother of Lynn D., died at the tender age of 
one year and three months. 

The hold Mr. Putnam has on the commu- 
nity is the l)est commentary upon his business 
ability and extreme fidelity to the duties of 
his office. In the whole community no one 
is better liked than he or held in higher 
esteem, and every whit of respect accorded 
Mr. Putnam is his due and is thoroughly de- 
served. He is an ex-member of the I. O. O. 
F. lodge, a member of the A. O. U. W'., and 
entertains very liberal religious views. 



ILLIAM J. GR.WDIN, a member 
of the tlrm of Gramlin Bros., bank- 
ers, is one of the \-ery prominent 
and one of the most esteemed men of Tidioute, 
Warren County. He comes of a family which 
has always been in the lead in the communities 
in which its memb.ers ha\e resided, and always 
remarkably successful in business. The bank- 
ing firm of which Mr. Grandin is a member 
stands very high in financial circles, and for a 
long time has becri recognized and de])cnded 




u]K)n by the business interests of Warren 
County as a reliable, wisely conducted and 
most beneficial institution. 

A son of one of Tidioute's pioneer citizens, 
the late Samuel Grandin, the subject of this 
review was born in P!easant\ille. X'enango 
County, Pa., August 26, 1H38. The family an- 
cestry is traced back to Samuel Grandin, who 
was liorn on one of the islands along the coast 
of h'rance, about the year 1700, and who came 
to the United States and settled in .\ew Jer- 
sey, where he passed ne;u'l\' all his life. He 
was a hard worker, jirospcred, and was well- 
to-do. He reared a large family of children, 
to whom he gave an e.Kcellent education. 
Three of his sons were especially well edu- 
cated, — one for the legal profession, one for 
the ministry, and the third for mercantile busi- 
ness. The last was John Grandin, the great- 
grandfather of our subject. John Grandin fol- 
lowed mercantile pursuits until his failing 
health compelled him to retire from business. 
He then taught school until his ill health again 
made it compulsory for him to give up work 
and he retired. He and his family residetl for 
some time in Morris County, N. J., and sulise- 
qnently removed to Pleasantville, \'enango 
County, Pa., where he died about fifty-six 
vears ago at the age of sixty-seven years. John 
(jrandin's wife was a nali\'e of Sussex County, 
X. J. They reared a family of se\en chil.lren. 
three sons and four <l;uightcrs. 

Samuel Gi'andin, father of our subject, was 
born in Sussex County. X. J., October 15. 
1800. His etlucation was limited owing to the 
fact that the schools when he was a youth were 
not \erv good and it was practically a waste of 



66 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



time and effort to attend them. Samuel striig:- 
gled uilli tlio ])reliniin;uy studies in the dis- 
trict scliools until he was al)()ut ten \ears old. 
Then he learned the trade of tailor, which he 
followed continuously for twenty years. In 
iSjj. when he was twenty-two \cars of a_t;e, 
Mr. (irandin determined to seek a wider lielcl 
for his talent as a tailor, and he decideil to "go 
West." In those days Pennsyhania was con- 
sidered ;is in the West. .Mr. ( irandin remo\-ed 
from New Jer.sey and settled in Plea.santville, 
\'enanoo County, Pa., where he worked at his 
trade, being very successful, until 1840. He 
then removed to Tidioule. Pa., where he gave 
up tailoring and engaged in husiness. He in- 
terested himself in the lumher trade, and 
rafted large quantities of tiniher down the .\l- 
Icgheny. In this he continued until he retired 
from active business in iSOo. l!y his energy, 
industry, sagacity and integrity Mr. Grandin 
amassed a fortune, — a spleinlid achievement 
considering that at the beginning of his re- 
markably successful career his capital, as fre- 
(jucntly described by himself, consisted of on!)' 
"a ])air of shears and a la|)-l)o.ard." He was 
ne\er an ot'lice seeker and, ;dt hough frequently 
urged to accept office, persistently declined. 
It was his rule in ])olilics to \ote for the man 
he consideretl the best, irrespective of party 
lines. Religiously he was a member and a 
liberal sup])orter of the Universalist Church, — 
his belief l)eing that all men are at last sa\ed, 
— and that men ought to live their best lives 
on earth and not wait until after death to do 
so. Mr. (irandin was ever at the head of en- 
terprises which were calculated to advance the 
material interests of Tidioute and of the bor- 



ough of Warren. He took an especial pride in 

their education.al institutions, and did much 
toward their de\clopnient. Pcrsonalh' the 
father of om^ subject was of genial and most 
S((ciable dispositicjii. although his dislike of 
sham did not prevent him from showing his 
feelings whenever he was confronted by pre- 
tense, or that which did not seem to him to be 
the real, sincere thing. Cenerous to a fault, 
he was unable to refrain from aiding atnone in 
need, and he lost large sums of money thrcugh 
his indorsement of notes for friends who left 
him to stand the losses which they created. In 
imblic affairs he gave liberally and wisely to 
those causes which justified his beneficence. 
( )n (/)ctf)ber 4, 1832, Mr. Grandin married 
Sarah ,\nn Hem\v of \'enango County, who 
was born ( )ctober 12, 1807, and died May i i, 
i85_>. They reared a famil\- of five sons and 
two daughters, as follows: Morris Worts 
(irandin, born Octolier 10, 1833, died Se[)tem- 
ber 5, 1834: Stephen Girard Grandin, born 
.April 14, 1835, died by drowning July 24, 
1831; John Li\-ingston (h'andin, born De- 
cember 20. 1836, now a member of the bank- 
ing firm of Grandin Bros., of Tidioute; Wil- 
liam J., the subject of this sketch; I'llijah Bish- 
op (irandin. born Xovember 2^. 1840, also a 
member of the tirm of (irandin Bros., bankers; 
Maria Jane, born Fel)ruary 21, 1843, widow of 
.Aflnah Keyhart of Ithaca. X. ^'., and Ennna 
.\nn, born June 29, 1849, -^'i'^ <lied in James- 
town, X. ^".. .\ugust 17, 1867. Samuel Gran- 
din is recalled as one of the most enterprising 
of the pioneer settlers in Tidioute. He was 
(|uick to foresee op])ortunities for good invest- 
ment and to forecast the future needs of the 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



67 



town. \\'licn lie first l(icatf<l in Titlioutc, in 
1840, he l)ihlt a saw mill at the f()(.)t of (iordon 
Run, the rciiiiiants of the dam heiiiLT visible to- 
day. He also conducted a general store. He 
purchased thirty-three acres of land which ex- 
tend from where the Clrandin Bros." hanking 
house now stands to the south and west. I-'rom 
this tract was taken much of the timber which 
he rafted down the Allegheny. He sold the 
land, in 1868. to Brown & Ciro\-e, who subse- 
quently sold it to the Tidioute & Warren Od 
Company. It proved to be one of the great- 
est oil territories in the vicinity of Tidioute. 
Mr. Grandin bought ]iart of the Artis farm, on 
which he built the large and substantial resi- 
dence which was his home for some years, and 
which, upon his death, January 28, 1888, 
passed to his daughter, Mrs. .\diiali Xeyhart. 
John L. Grandin and William J. Clrandin. 
the latter the subject of this review, took up 
the lumber and mercantile Inisiness of their 
father and conducted them very successfully 
for several years. They built the store ad- 
joining the Ryan Hotel, in which Mr. Thomas 
is located. In 1868 John L. Grandin and A. 
Clark Baum established a general bankingbus- 
iness which constantly grew and was success- 
ful from its l)eginniiig. In 1870 William J. 
(irandin purchased the interest of Mr. l'.;ium, 
and the institution became Grandin Bros.' 
liank. — which is the ])resent title of the busi- 
ness. In 1870 it was necessary to lia\c en- 
larged quarters to meet their very e\tensi\c 
requirements, and the brothers erecteil the 
substantial and beautiful tliree-slor\- brick 
block in which their operruions are now con- 
ducted. Grandin Bros." liank occupies the 



larger part of the first floor, having tinel}- lin- 
islied and ec|ui])])ed general and jjrivate offices. 
The offices arc declared to be among the best 
arranged and the most conx'eniently adapted 
for the banking business in W'arren County. 
The drug store of Dr. Kimljle & Son and the 
offices of the Citizens' Gas Company also oc- 
cuin' handsome cjuarters on the ground floor. 
The second floor is occupied for office pur- 
])oses and by the Tidioute Weekly Xews. 
which is s])aciously and conveniently housed. 
The third floor contains an opera-house, whicli 
affords the citizens of Tidioute every facility 
for enjo\nient in the way of entertainments, 
etc. The theatre has a seating capacity of 750 
and is one of the finest and best equipped in 
the smaller towns of this state. Graiulin Bros, 
did a general banking ])usiness up to 1894.. 
wlien, owing to the wide extent of their intli- 
vidual interests, it was necessary to curtail the 
banking business and to restrict it to pr'\ate 
banking. They thus relinquished the large 
puljlic banking ])atronage which the firm had 
long enjoyed and so satisfactorily transacted. 
The firm deals largely in bonds, mortgages 
and such general securities as arc naturally 
handled by pri\ate bankers in the line of in- 
vestments. 

The sulijcct of our sketch and his brother, 
John L., lia\e also been large oil-])roducers in 
the local and adjoining oil territories, and liave 
been very successful. William J. Grandin was 
one of the promoters and charter members of 
the Tidioute Chair Manufacturing Companv. 
He has also been \ery acti\-e and influential in 
promoting and adxanciiig the general business 
and commercial interests of Tidioute, and lie 



68 



HOOK OF BIOGKAPHIKS 



is recognized as one of the leading men who 
have (lone most to give Ti(h(iute its liigli rank 
as an induslrial and mercantile center. The 
hriilhcrs have hnilt many honscs in the ti)\\ii. 
The}' have \'erv large farming interests. L'pon 
the celcljrated failnrc of Jay Cooke and the 
downfall of his great hanking honse, (h-andhi 
Ih'os. were his creditors. In the settlement 
which followed they rccei\ed, in lien of the 
large snni which was due them from Cooke. 
72,000 acres of land in North Dakota. They 
liave disjioscd of nnich of the ])roi)i-rty. hut 
now ha\e ahout 25.000 acres under culti\;ition 
on their farm, which contains 36,000 .acres, 
and is located at (ir.uidin. .\'oi-tli Dako'a. John 
L. (irandin and E. 1!. ( h-andin also own 27.000 
acres of line land at May\ille. .\'orih Dakota. 
iij)on wliich they annually raise many thou- 
sands of bushels of wheat. The brothers have 
l)uilt up villages and stnall cities surroitnding 
their great farms in North Dakota: they iiaxc 
erected elevators and stores and have built 
railroads, affording transportation facilities 
both for themselves and the ])cople in the 
country adjacent to their farms. Jolm I, ( Ir.an- 
(hn has a beautiful residence in Tidioutc. but 
lix'cs almost continuousb' in Boston, Mass. 

W'illiaiii J. (irandin marrierl Miss Mary, 
daughter of Peter Breunesholtz, who died. four 
children having resulted from their union: 
hrank. deceased; Charles. ])residcnt of the 
May\ille P.ank of Mayvillc. North Dakota: 
William J.. Jr.. an assistant in the banking 
honse of (irandin Bros., in Tidionte, Pa.; and 
Mary L.. who resides with bci" father. Mr. 
Gr.andin was wedded, upon the occasion of his 
second m.arriage. to Miss .Vimie II.. danghter 



of Michael Merkle of Limestone lown.ship, 
Warren County, and to them ha\e l)een born 
two children: ( luy .M., and Aimie. 

In poHtic^ \\'illi;im J. Cranchn has followed 
in his father's footsteps and has declined to ac- 
cept olhce. ])referring to devote his energy 
and eiUire attention to the very large business 
interests with which he is so successfully en- 
gaged. .\ man of strong, sterling character, 
Mr. (Irandin is very popular, both in business 
•and social circles. lie is highly regarded by 
all who know him and is thoroughly esteemed 
for his business ability, his many admirable 
Ir.aits of high personal character, and for his 
unselfish .and public-spirited devotion to the 
adwancement of the town in which he makes 
his home. We take pleasure in ])resenting his 
portrait on a preceding page. 



/pT^ORGE FREMONT Y.VTES. This 
\pl prominent and induential citizen of 
Warren is a well known jiersonage of 
the Thirty-se\cnth Judicial District of Penn- 
sybania. llis life has been cast in three dif- 
ferent ch.nnnels. being engaged hrst in teach- 
ing, then in mercantile pursuits, and later as a 
])ublic servant. In each occupation he lias 
been successful, and the varied duties that 
ha\e f.'dlen to his lot during his useful life 
have been in every case performed with ;i 
cheerfulness and steadiness of purpose which 
have made him at once a favorite, and caused 
his career to be a source of encouragement for 
others. Not at all .-unbitions for place or 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



69 



power, he has attained tlic staiKhni; which 
uprightness, sol)riety. and atlcnlion to the bet- 
ter tilings of life are certain to secure. 

Our subject was born in Columljus, Warren 
County, Pa., January 17. 1853. lie is a son 
of George Van Ness Yates and Lucy A. 
(Smith) Yates, and grandson of George and 
Elizabeth (Harrington) Vates. He attended 
the public schools of his native town during 
his boyhood, after which he took a tinishing 
course of two years at the Clinton Liberal Li- 
stitute, in Clinton, New York, .\fter leav- 
ing this institution he taught one term and 
then became a clerk in a hardware store in 
Jamestown. New York, where he remained 
several years. This task he relinquished to 
engage in mercantile business on his own be- 
half. He conducted business enterprises in 
Pennsylvania in both Warren and Butler 
counties. November 3. 1886, he was elected 
treasurer of Warren County and served faith- 
fully in that office for three years. In 1889. he 
was appointed deputy prothonotary of War- 
ren County, and gave such excellent satisfac- 
tion that he was elected to till the office of 
l^rothonotary in November. iSqi, and re- 
elected to the same office in 1894. He has 
filled this position for more than nine years. 
Pie also served as secretary and treasurer of 
the school board for six \'ears. and was chief 
burgess of the borough of Columbus one term. 

George Yates, grandfather of George F. 
Yates, was a nati\e of New York. He was 
united in marriage with Elizabeth Harring- 
ton, also a resident of the same state. Their 
nuptials were celebrated on January 31. 1S04. 
Thev reared a familv of children, one of w horn 



was George Van Ness ^'ates. father of our 
subject. 

George \'an Ness ^'ates was liorn in ( )tsego 
C"oinity, New ^'ork. Octoljer 26, 1822, and 
was a man of much prominence in Warren 
County in bis day. He was the first jirstice 
of the peace in Columbus, Warren Comity, 
and held that position for five years, con- 
ducting the affairs of that office with strict 
integrity, and showing no partiality whatever. 
In 1855 lie was further honored bv being elect- 
ed sheriff of Warren County, being the first 
Republican sheriff e\^er elected in that county. 
Later he was elected associate judge of War- 
ren County, and served five years, discharg- 
ing the duties of that office in an able and 
very acceptable manner. He was appointed 
judge advocate of the state militia, and ser\'ed 
as president of the First National Bank of 
Corry. Pennsylvania, for several \ears. De- 
cember 28, 184(^1. he was joined in wedlock 
with Lucy A. Smith, a lady possessing rare 
beauty and accomplishments. Six children 
blessed this union, namely: Lelia. born Jan- 
uary 16, 1851; George Fremont (the sub- 
ject of this sketch): Enuna .\.. born Novem- 
ber I. 1854: W. \^an Ness. l)orn .\ugust 14. 
1859; Mary P>.. born July 13. 18O1 : Minnie 
E.. l)orn July 2^. iSf'T,. The father of George 
F. Yates died on the fomieenth day of Feb- 
ruary, 1876, and his life was considered well 
and nobly speiit. His widow, who was born 
November 11. 1825. survi\-es him and is sti'l 
residing in Corry. Pa. 

George hreniont "^'ates was united in mar- 
riage with Jennie S. Purcell. of Schoolcraft, 
Michigan, oniv daughter of William Clark 



liooK i)F BIOGRAPHIES 



Purcell and Caroline Virtiinia tSniiili) I'ur- 
ccll. Tlie fallicr iif jcnuif S, I'lirci'll was l)orn 
X'ovenilior (>. 1834. ami lirr motluT was Ixini 
hccciuhiT _'. iS_^_|. 'riu'ir inaniaj^c nc-i-nncd 
August If), 1S37. and rcsullcd in llio hinh of 
two children, (icorye W. Pnrc(.'ll. horn Alav 
20, 185S, and Jennie S. I'ui'cell, wife of ("ieorj;e 
!•". ^ ates, who was horn July _'5. 1863, re- 
ceived her educalii)n in the schools of School- 
craft. Michii^an. her native city, and ^raduateil 
with high honors in the class of 187S, at the 
early age of fifteen years. She is a ladv of 
rare accomplishments; as a wife, mother, and 
memher of society she is greatly heloved and 
respected. She is a nnisician of some note, 
and has served as organist of the JMrst Pres- 
hyterian Church of Warren for manv years. 
Mr. "N ates and his charming wife are blessed 
with three children, one son and two daugh- 
ters, as follows: (ieorge Van Ness, horn April 
7, 1882; Lucy J., horn Decemher 28, 1883; 
and lle'en C, l)orn January 23, 1888, So- 
cially .Mr. Vates is a valued memher of the 
Masonic order and also of the Knights of Py- 
thias. 



7T^ APT. TTIO.MAS ( ). SI.A'll'R. a 
V J| ])romineiU and successful hanlware 

^^~~^^ dealer in Warren, Warren ('onnt\-. 
Pa., is purely of Englisli origin, although he 
was horn in Cjlasgow, Scotland, i'ehruarx- 8, 
1842. He is a son of John .Slater, and grand- 
son of Tliomas Ogden .Slater, who was for 
many years one of Philadelphia's most jiromi- 
nent druggists. 



John Slater, father of Thomas O.. was born 

in ( )l(lh;un. Pngland. Decemher 2^^, 1810. 
i le was educated in the public schools of Old- 
ham, and in early manhood learned the trade 
of a hatter. Upon reaciiing his majority he 
laid the foundations of a \ery profitable busi- 
ness as a wholesale dealer and manufacttu'cr 
(jf hats, continuing this business with nuich 
success for a number of vears. In 1853 he 
came to .\merica, locating in Philadelphia for 
about a year. In 1854 he moved to Warren 
Count}-, Pa,, settling in Limestone; in tint 
\icinit}- he purchased a large tract of valuable 
timber land, devoting his time thereafter to 
lumbering. He was very successful as a lum- 
i)er dealer, and in the course of time liad 
amassed (|uite a fortime. He soon became a 
\-ery prominent man in the community. .\nn 
Jackson, of Pow House, Isle of ]Man, became 
his wife. They lived useful lives, and were 
much beloved by all who had the good for- 
tune to become acquainted with them. Be- 
fore leaving for America they were faithful 
members of the Clunx-li of England. In ])o- 
litical affiliations here Mr. Slater belonged to 
the old school of Democrats. He served as 
township connnissioner for twenty _\ears and 
(lied in 1874 leaving fi\'e sons: Thomas ().. 
su])iect of this notice; William J.; John; Rob- 
ert and Charles. 

Thomas O. Slater received his primary etlu- 
cation in Stockport, England, concluding his 
studies in Philadel]ihia, Pa., and Salem, N. 
J., attending school imtil twenty years of age. 
.\botU that time, July. 1862, President Lin- 
coin issued a call for 300.000 men to enlist fc)r 
three years or more. Thomas O. Slater was 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



one of the lirst to resixind to liis oouiUry's 
call. A iiK'ctiii,i;' was coiu-okcd am! a miinhcr 
of names enrolled; each da\' more names were 
added until 117 names were secured ui one 
week; a feature worthy of note was the fact 
that in thai number were ei.L;ht pairs of broth- 
ers. It was the |)ri\ile.L;e of Mr. Slater to be 
associated with as line a boch- uf men as ever 
represented this nation. This was Company 
H, 1 2th New Jersey. They rendezvoused at 
W'oodlniry. New Jersey, on .\ui^ust 13. 1862, 
the roll being dated for the enlistment of the 
entire company on that memorable date. The 
first camping ground was at Ellicott's Mills. 
Md., and at that place they Ijegan at once the 
stern duties of a soldier's life preparatory- to 
the moment(Mis campaigns that were to fol- 
low. 

A peculiar trait and one showing the spirit 
of the men, was vividly illustrated in the fact 
that not one among them would consent to 
act as cook; they were there for sterner work; 
however, those were easily found who would 
cook for a consideration. This state of af- 
fairs was quickly and rudel\' interrupted when 
Lee with his army of Xorthern X'irginians 
pushed his \ictorious march until he met (ien. 
McClcllan at .\ntietam with the .\rm\- of the 
Potomac. It was there that Lee's army met 
with reverses, and was repulsed with hea\y 
losses. Company H, 12th New Jersey, now 
received another taste of military life, hav- 
ing to act as guard o\-er a large number of 
military prisoners, w ho were being taken from 
Frederick City to Baltimore, Maryland. Af- 
ter \arious vicissitudes, mostly of a character 
that will ne\-er be forgotten, among them an 



episode in the hospital corps. Thomas (). 
Slater .and the roni|iany to which he belonged, 
became a ])art of the J<\ lirigade. 31I 1 )ivis- 
ion, 2f\ Army C'orps. This change marked 
an e])och in the history of the com])any. 
[•"rom that time on not an engagement of con- 
sequence was fought by this command that 
Compau)' 11 (lid not particijiate in, losing a 
great many of its men and some of its most 
jM'ecious blood. 

The first battle in which Mr. Slater took ].)art 
was that of Chancellorsville, where his regi- 
ment sustained a loss of 24 killed and 132 
wounded. He next fought at the terrible 
battle of Gettysburg. In that engagement 
Company H distinguished it.self for bravery. 
Sergeant Slater's gallantry being conspicuous. 
He took part in several other engagements, 
ser\ing under General Hancock and against 
Lee's army at Todd's Tavern. About that 
time Sergeant Slater was dangerously wound- 
ed, being shot through the thigh. He was 
soon rendered convalescent, however, by the 
devoted nursing of a fellow-soldier, also 
wounded. Before rejoining his regiment he 
recei\ed a lieutenant's commission, and al- 
though unfit for service he \er_\- determinedly 
presenteil himself at camp, and therel)y dis- 
covered what an aw fid change had taken place. 
Instead of 80 men in Company II, but 1 i 
men answered the roll. Lieutenant Slater by 
virtue of his commission, was put in command 
of Company I!; he was next [)roniotcd to the 
adjutancy of the regiment and in ( )ctober 
he received a commission as captain of Com- 
ivan\' K, afterward commanding that company 
during the fighting which followed. 



72 



HOOK OF I'.KlCRAl'IIIKS 



October 27, 1864, Captain S'alor experi- 
enced another clian^c of fiirtiiiK' of a ililTcr- 
cnt nature. At tlic lialtlo of iiatoh's Kin lie 
and otlicr l)ra\c men were captured by llie 
Confederates anil sent to Petcrs1)ur<^, and laiei' 
were confined in Lihhy I'rison. W'liile tliere 
lie CNi)erienced all the horrors and hardshiiis 
of jjrison life. In a short time. liowe\'er, he 
was transferred to Danville, \'a.. remaining 
there until I'ehrnary 18, iSCj^, when he. with 
450 other ofliccrs. was returned to I.ihhy 
Prison. I~cl)ruary 22. 18(^15, he was exchanged 
and took up his journex' to .\nnapolis, Mary- 
land. He marched in the eoluhm that es- 
corted to its linal resting place the remains of 
our martyred president, Lincoln. 

After the termination of the war Captain 
Slater was honorably dischargetl from the 
army. lie then went to Warren County, se - 
tling in Limestone t<iwnshi]) where he re- 
mained until ii^/(\ After \isiting the ])rinci- 
pal cities in. the West, he engaged in agricul- 
tm'al ])ursuits in I^ansas for three }ears. hut 
Warren offered stronger inducements, and he 
again returned. As an employe of J I. A. 
Jamieson he engaged in the hardware business 
and remained in this capacity for a jjcriod of 
eleven years. In iSi;^, he went into the same 
business for himself and has been so engaged 
ever since. 

lie courted ancl married Sar.ah M. Wilson, 
which happv event was consnnnn.ated at 
Brooklyn, New ^'ork, in 1871 ; biU a few years 
passed when Captain Slater mourned the loss 
of his wife. In 1892 he was again united 
in marriage, this time with Julia Conkling 
Jar\is, daughter of Wellington Jar\-is. She 



was born in Brooklyn, New York, July 16^ 

1861. The joy of their hearts is centered in 
their little daughter, lulith Louise. Captain 
Slater is a member of h'ord Lost No. 336, G. 
.\. k., of Warren. I'a.. and belongs also to 
the Loyal Legion of the C S. He is a mem- 
ber of TrinitN' .Memorial I'hurch of Warren, 
Pa. 



f^ AMES HOOD EDDY, deceased, who 
w as for four-score years one of the most 
prominent and highly respected busi- 
ness men of Warren County, Pa., and who 
held at different times all the responsible of- 
fices in the town of Warren, was a son of Zach- 
ariah and Rose (Stewart) Eddy, and a direct 
descendant of William Eddye, A. M., vicar of 
the church of St. Dunstan, in the town of 
Cranbrook, Kent County, England. Zachariah 
Eddy was born in Plymouth, Mass., and mov- 
ed to Warren in 1801. In the "Genealogy of 
the h'ddy h'amily" it is stated that Samuel, son 
of William Eddye, was born in 1608 and left 
England for America August 10, 1630, with 
his brother John, in the ship "Handmaid," 
connnanded b}' Cajjtain Ciraut, landing at Ply- 
mouth, Mass., November 8, 1630. James 
Hood Eddy is of the eighth generation from 
W illiani I'^ddx'c of England. 

James H. Eddy, the subject of this biog- 
raphy, was born November 11, 1814, in a 
house located where the Eirst National Rank 
of Warren, Pa., now stands. His death oc- 
curred March 24. 1894, and he was greatly 
mourned \>\ all. .Mr. luldv received as liberal 




HI C.H A. JAMIKSON. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



an education as the pioneer schools of that 
time afforded, and Ijegan active business Hfe 
at an carlv age. Most of iiis career was spent 
as a lumber dealer. He was a man of strictly 
uprig^ht. business principles, honest in all deal- 
ino's. and when his death occurred, after so 
many years of faithful work, the people of 
Warren realized that they had lost one of the 
leading lights of the town. 

In 1880 Mr. Eddy was elected president of 
the First National Bank of Warren and faith- 
fully performed the duties of that office until 
his resignation on account of ill health, in 
1885. Politically he was an earnest and con- 
sistent Democrat, but never sought public dis- 
tinction. He held several of the local offices 
and performed creditably the duties pertain- 
ing to them. This he considered an obliga- 
tion of every good citizen. In 1836 Mr. Eddy 
married Hannah Hook of New Hampshire, 
who survives him with three children, namely: 
James B., Henrietta, and Mrs. Belle McJMul- 
len of Erie, Pa. Mrs. McMullen has one child, 
Irvine Eddy McMullen. The deceased off- 
spring of Mr. and Mrs. James Hood Eddy 
were Rose A. Andrews, who left one child. 
Bella (Andrews) \\'inthrop (now living at Spo- 
kane, Washington); Irvine Hook Eddy; and 
Francis Dudley Eddy, who died aged six 
years. 

UGH A. J.\:\nES()N. Among the 
citizens of Warren, who, liy their 
connection with maiuifacturing 
l)lants and other business enterprises, have 
contributed to the growth and welfare of the 
borough, none is more deserving of the grati- 




l® 



tude of the people than the gentleman named 
above, whose portrait appears on a preceding 
page. He received a thorough training for 
the legal profession, and possesses a shrewd, 
grasping and discriminating mind, cjualifica- 
tions so essential to a successful business man. 
He reached out into the business world, taking 
hold of such enterprises as had proved failures 
in the hands of others, and purely through his 
own individual efforts raised them to their feet 
financially and con\erted them into flourish- 
ing plants, which each year added largely to 
the wealth of the community. His business 
investments became so extensive that he prac- 
ticed law but a few years. He is still identified 
with many manufacturing concerns in War- 
ren, and is vice-president of the Warren Na- 
tional Bank. 

Mr. lamieson was born in Berkshire Coun- 
ty, Mass., ]\Iay 31, 1835, and is the son of 
Hugh and Jeannette Jamieson. Hugh Jamie- 
son was a native of Scotland, and in 1824 left 
his home at Paisley, Scotland, and came to 
America, locating at Pludson, N. Y. There he 
resided for a time, but subsequently moved to 
the Berkshire Hills in Massachusetts, where 
he followed his trade, — that of a weaver. In 
1843 he removed with his family to Sugar 
Grove, W^arren County, Pa., making his home 
at that point, but working in Jamestown, Pa. 
He returned home once a week to spend the 
Sabbath with his family, returning to work 
again on Monilay. He contiinied in that man- 
ner for manv \ears but finally retired to a farm, 
on which he died in 1880, at the advanced age 
of seventy-seven years. His wife died at the 
age of seventy-four years. 



76 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Hugh A. Jamieson, our subject, was one of 
a family of live cliildrcii. lie remained at 
home until lie had reached his majority, at- 
teniliny both the district schools and l\an- 
diilph Academy, after which he en.^aij'ed in 
teachint;' fur three \ear>. In the sprins;' of 
i<S5() he l)e,!L;an clerkinj; in a merchandise store 
in Kemiedx \ ille. \. ^ . ( *ne year later, how- 
e\er, he retnrne<l In Sn^ar (irove. where he 
purchased an interest in a dry goods store 
from Mark Wilson, and became the partner of 
1. K. Miller, lie dis|)osed of his interests in 
this business in the spring of 1858, and entered 
tlie employ of Daniel Griswold, of Jamestown, 
his duties being to handle l)oats on the Ohio 
Ki\er. lla\ing decided upon a legal career, 
he began to read law in August, 1859, in the 
office of Johnson & Brown at Warren, and 



the cotmty, and in 1891 it was expanded still 
more and organized as a corporation, known 
as The Pickett Hardware Com])any. Ltd., of 
which the subject of our sketch was made pres- 
ident. 

In Ji>j(> Mr. Jamieson purchased stock in an 
enterprise known as tlie Warren Woodenwarc 
Works, which pro\ed to be a Kjsing invest- 
ment at first, but ha\ing considerable UKuiey 
at stake he was induced to step in and run 
the business temporarily. He subseciuently 
became tlie sole owner of the establishment, 
and joined the Western Woodenware Associa- 
tion, the office of which is at Chicago, III., and 
for several years he served as president of the 
organization. As long as it continued under 
his management it flourished and was one of 
the chief plants in the borough. Among other 



after the retirement of Mr. Johnson from the i enterprises he became interested in saw and 

(louring mills, as well as sash, door and blind 
factories. The \\'arren Refining Company 
was purchasetl in 1894 Iiy Mr. Jamieson. It 
has since been enlarged and impro\ed in all 
its branches, and has been made a very suc- 
cessful business. Mr. Jamieson is a stockhold- 
er in the Cornplanter Refining Company of 
Warren. He is also the largest stockholder in 
the limlenton Refining Co. of Emlenton. Pa., 
and is considerably interested otherwise in oil 
operations. 

The subject of this biograph)- was one of 
the incorporators of the Citizens' National 
Bank, and was for many years one of its di- 
rectors. The W.irren National liank was or- 
ganized in 1893. and he has since been a direc- 
tor and \ice-president of it. He takes an ac- 



firm a short time thereafter, he continued in 
the office of Mr. Brown. He also remained in 
the latter's office after his admission to the 
bar, in the fall of 1861, and in less than a year 
they became partners under the firm name, 
lirown iK: Jamieson. lieing of a specniatisc 
turn of mind, he became interested in a lumber 
and mill propert}- on Kinzna Creek. ;uid in the 
\illage of Kinzna. and soon took hold of \a- 
rious other business ventiu'cs to such an ex- 
tent that in 1865 he was obliged to relinquish 
his i)ractice, and the partnership was dissolved. 
He acquired an interest in a hardware store in 
W^arren, which was conducted for some time 
tmder the lu'in name J. R. Mitchell i.*v Com- 
l)any. but was changed to II. .\. Jamieson in 
1871. By shrewd and iirndent management 



he developed the largest hardware business in ^ tive interest in the success of the Republican 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 




party. l)ut lie has ne\er soiiglit political oftice. 
In fact his business interests would not permit 
of it. However he was elected as burgess in 
1 88 J, mucii against his own wishes, but he 
consented to serve. He is an earnest worker 
in the Warren Library Association, and libor- 
all\- sujiports all worthy enterprises. He ac- 
tively participated in the l)uilding of the War- 
ren Y. M. C. A. building, and was one of the 
building connnittee in erecting the First Pres- 
byterian Church, (if which he has been a mem- 
ber for twentv vears. 



KXh:ST N. SMITH, a worthy and 
respected citizen of Warren. Warren 
'County. Pa., is the only son of Jesse 
and ]''lizal)eth J. Smith of Crawford County, 
and was born September 4. 1845, in Conneaut- 
\ilie, Pennsylvania. He received a good prac- 
tical education in his native place and at the 
age of sixteen years left home for the pur- 
pose of taking a finishing course at Lawrence 
University at Appleton. Wisconsin. \\'hile 
there, diligenth' engaged in the pursuance of 
his studies, the contlict broke out between the 
North and the South, and so cutting short 
his college career, he enlisted in a regiment 
of ^\'isconsin volunteers in which he served 
until the close of the war, rendering valuable 
ser\icc to our country in time of great need. 

At the close of the war he returned once 
more to PenusyKania and shortly afterward 
became a hardware merchant at TitusNille. in 
which business he continued for eight years. 
In 1873 he began to operate in the oil busi- 



ness at Foxburg, Clarion County. In 1881 
he removed to Warren, Warren County, 
w here he has remained ever since, engaged in 
operating and speculating with oil wells. 

Mr. Smith married Elizabeth A. Durant. a 
daughter of George W. Durant of .\lbany 
County. New York, the event being solem- 
nized October 28, 1874, and one child, Carlos 
E., is the result of their union. ^Ir. Smith 
has identitied himself with the Republican 
partv all through his career, being greatly 
pleased at party successes. He is a devout 
Christian and is a warm supporter of the Epis- 
copal Church in \\'arren. being at jiresent 
clerk of the vestry of that parish. Socially he 
is a member of the North Star Lodge, F. & 
A. M: Occidental Chapter, R. A. :\I.: and 
Warren Comiuander}- Knights Templar. 

Dr. Nelson Smith, grandfather of the sub- 
ject of this writing, was a nati\e of Durh.im. 
Greene County. New York. Polly West, an 
affable young lady of that place. Ijecame his 
wife, and they traveled with an ox team all 
the way from Greene County, New York, to 
Crawford County, Pa., where they established 
a home about 1810. The doctor pro\ed to 
be a useful man in that conuuunit}'. am! 
passed away peacefully at the ailvanced age of 
eighty-one years, leaving several children. 

Jesse Smith, father of Ernest N., was born 
October 7, 181 7, and was a blacksmith by 
trade. In 1840 he went into business for him- 
self at Conneautxille, Crawford County, Pa. 
I'^or twenty-five years he carried on a large 
and extensive establishment as a carriage- 
builder and blacksmith. Being a skilled 
workman his patronage was large, and \e- 



78 



HOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



hides put out from his estabhshment were 
noted for excellence of material, durability and 
fine workmanship. In 1842 he was appointed 
(juarlcrniaster sergeant with the title of major 
in the state militia. November 6, 1844, he 
was united in marriasje with h'lizabeth J. 
Smith, a danghler of Dr. Smith of L'nion\ille. 
( )liio. This (.•oiucidcncc is not to be won- 
dered at. as the surname of Smith is one of 
the most conunon in the f'higlish language, 
and the young folks were probably first at- 
tracted toward each other by this \ery simi- 
Lirity of names. Two children blessed their 
union: h'rnest N., subject of this notice; and 
J^'lorencc I£lizabeth. 

For a period of seven years Jesse Smith was 
president of the Crawford County Agricul- 
tural Societv. He, as director, cast the de- 
ciding vote that located the h-rie & Pittsburg 
Railroad in the western part of Crawford 
Count}-. In 1854 he was politically honored 
iiy being elected to the legislature. So well 
did he please the i)arty by discharging the 
duties imposed upon him that he was again 
selected to serve as a public officer. In 1861 
he was elected treasurer of Crawford County. 
In 1865 he went to Titusville and engaged in 
operating oil wells, removing, in 1873, to Fox- 
burg, Clarion County, but still remaining in 
the saiue occupation. He remained in Fox- 
burg for many years. While there he was 
elected school director, and also director of 
the Foxburg Bank. He served not only as 
director but also as vice-president of that 
banking institution for a period of fourteen 
years. Returning to Titusville in 1881, he 
was elected director of the Connnercial liank 



of that place. At Titusville he was president 
of the school board for seven years. He has 
always been per.sonally interested in educa- 
tional affairs, having served as a school di- 
rector for twenty years in all. 

Jesse Smith is a thorough Christian gentle- 
man and a most \alneil member of the M. E. 
Clnu'ch, of which he has been a trustee for 
thirty-one years. Foiu" times has he iieen a 
lay delegate to the M. E. Conference, also 
serving as trustee at ChaiUaucpia for twelve 
years. He has been a mendjer of the Masonic 
order since 1854, and has also enjoyed the 
distinction of having been at some tiiue or 
other presiding officer of the following: Odd 
Fellows' society. Sons of Temperance, Temple 
of Honor, and Good Templars. 



vSV wdiose 



AM E. RICE. The gentleman 
hose name heads this sketch is the 
junior member of the law firm 
Hinckley & Rice of Warren, Pa. Mr. Rice 
was born at Lottsville, Pa., December 19. 
i860, and recei\ed his education in part at 
Chamberlain Institute, Randolph, N. V., at- 
tending also the Allegheny College of Mead- 
ville. Pa. After leaving college he taught 
school for seven years, and in 1882 took up 
the study of law in the office of Wetmore, 
Noyes & Hinckley of Warren, Pa. He was 
admitted to the bar of Warren County April 
16, 1885, and immediately began i)ractice in 
the borough. In 1888 Mr. Rice formed a part- 
nership with Judge Brown and Hon, C. W. 
Stone, the firm name being Brown. Stone & 




CAPTAIN Deforest a. wueelock. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



Rice. This partnership was dissolved in 1890, 
and in the same year tlie sul^ject of onr sketcli 
became associated with W. D. Hinckley, 
wliich co-partnersliip still exists. 

The firm of Hinckley & Rice forms one of 
the strongest law firms in the judicial district, 
and a good proportion of legal business is at- 
tended to bv them. Mr. Rice is a strong Re- 
publican, bm is not an aspirant to ])ublic dis- 
tinction. He is an active worker and does all 
in his power to further the interests of his 
party. 




APTAIN DeFOREST A. WHEEL- 
(^CK. When the United States de- 
clared war against Spain and made 
it known to the world that the Cubans should 
be freed from the bondage in which the\' had 
been held for centuries, the subject of this re- 
\iew was among the first to prepare to respond 
to the call of his country for soldiers. Having 
for several years served in the i^th I'iegiment, 
National Guard of Pennsylvania, Capt. 
W'heelock was fully cognizant of the probable 
course of events after the blowing up of the 
Maine, and it was mainly owing to his energy, 
and his jireparations, that Conipany I. of 
which he is the honored captain, was the first 
company of a regularly-organized state guard 
to respond to the call for \-olunteers with full 
ranks. Having a spirited, patriotic leader the 
])atriotism of the men under Capt. Whcelock 
knew no limit. Their response to the call of 
the Ciovernment was prompt, and every man 
in the command stood shoulder to shoulder 
with his comrades in volunteering. This ac- 



tion reflected great credit upon the company, 
and especially upon its commandant, who is 
recognized as a thorough soldier, and a brave 
and intensely [latriotic citizen. The services 
rendered by Capt. W'heelock in the recent war 
were meritorious, but he gracefully accepts 
the honors won with his customary modesty 
and bestows whatever praise there ma\' be up- 
on his comrafles who so gallantly fought 
under his leadership, and who so greatly love 
and admire him as soldier, as citizen, and as 
friend. 

DeForest A. Wheelock is a civil engineer, 
actively engaged in his profession in Warren, 
Pa., and is known as one of the most ex|ierl 
and successful men in his profession in the 
United States. He is a son of Charles A. 
W'heelock and a grandson of Abner W'heel- 
ock, and was born in Wayne township, Erie 
County, ]^a.. July 23. 1X55. His grandfather, 
Abner Wheelock, was a native of Massachu- 
setts, in which state he was reared and spent 
the early jiart of his life until, with his family, 
he removed to Erie County, X. Y. In 1820 
he again migrated, settling in Wayne town- 
ship, Erie County, Pemisyhania. Although a 
carpenter by trade. Mr. Wheelock followed 
farming the greater part of his career. He 
flied at the age of eighty-one \ears. To him 
and his wife were born five children, namely: 
Charles .A., George. Edwin, Matthew, and 
Martha, who died in childhood. Charles A. 
Wheelock was born in Erie Countv, X. Y., 
but spent his boyliood days in Erie County, 
Pa. He engaged in farming, and resided in 
Wayne township. Erie County, Pa., until 
i860, when he removed to Meadville. Pa. A 



82 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



year later lie bought a farm in Freehold town- 

shi]). Warren Countv. near Lottsville. on 
w hich he passetl the remainder of iiis days, his 
demise occnrrinij in 1892. His wife was Eliza- 
lietli Kini^-. a native of h'-rie C"ounty. who died 
in 1S7S, at llie age of fifty years. They reared 
l>nt one child, the son who is the subject of 
this review. 

'Idle custfimary common-school training of 
our subject was followed by several years ex- 
])erience and study as a school teacher, and a 
course in C'hanibei-lain Institute, at Ranclol])h. 
X. \'.. during which he mastered the methods 
of civil engineering, which profession he has 
])ursued constantly to the present time. Mr. 
\\ heelock resided in l^reehold township until 
his removal to Warren, Pa., in 1889, where he 
has since engaged in his chosen calling suc- 
cessfully and pr()S])erousl\-. He has principal- 
ly devoted his talent and ability to railroad 
work, and has man\- times been sunnnoned to 
various parts of the state to settle land and 
railroad dis])utes. He has been much in de- 
mand as an ex])ert witness. Being one of the 
leading Republicans of Warren, Capt. AVheel- 
f>ck has been compelled to give much of his 
time, abilit\- and energ\' to ])ublic service. He 
was elected county surveyor in 1877, and re- 
mained in that office until 1886. He was again 
elected to the position by the x'oters of War- 
ren County, in 1895, and is yet ser\-ing in that 
ca])acity. In iS(;5 he was also elected borough 
engineer oi the borough of Warren, and now 
holds the office. 

Our subject was united in marriage, ^lay i, 
1878, to Sarah LeEll Smith, daughter of Da- 
vid O. Smith, of Columbus, Pa., and they have 



reared four charming children, Carl, Harry, 

liertba and Winnie. .Mr. Wheelock is a Ala- 
son of high standing, being a member of 
North Star Lodge, No. 241, F. & A. M.; of 
Occidental Chapter. Xo. J35, R. .\. .M.; and 
is at present eminent conunander of Warren 
Commandery, No. 63, K. T. He also is past 
exalted ruler of the Warren lodge of Elks. 

Following out his ideas of good citizenship, 
Capt. Wdieelock in December, 1882, enlisted 
as a member of Company I. i^tli Regiment. 
X^ational Guard of PennsyUania: served the 
rec]uired term of five years, and then re-en- 
listed in the same company in the fail of 1887. 
He was so popular and so capable that he was 
rapidly promoted in succession to the offices 
of corporal, sergeant, first sergeant, second 
lieutenant, first lieutenant, and in July, 1896, 
was elected captain of the company. Its re- 
sponse to the call for troo]xs for the war with 
Spain was prom])t, and it was mustered into 
the service of the United States, May 10, 1898, 
after having been on duty at the call of the 
state authorities since April J7th. .\fter camp- 
ing at Mt. Gretna, Pa., the company started 
for Chickamaugua on May 15th, reaching the 
govermnent camp at the latter i)lace on May 
17th. Sul)seciuently the com]ian)- was ordered 
to Charleston, S. C from which port it em- 
barked on the transport "Mobile, No. 21," and 
reached Ponce, Porto Rico, Julv 28t1i, where 
camp was pitched acn^ss from the cit\' on the 
following day. That night Cajn. Wheelock 
with fifty picked men marched to Cota. about 
seven miles ilistant, with orders to sup])ress a 
riot in that town. Capt. Wheelock took pos- 
session of the town and captured a few prison- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



83 



LTs and a (|uantity of commissary stores. On 
July 2 1 St Cai)t. Wlieelock and his company 
took possession of the pulilic huildinjj and tel- 
egraph offices in Juana Diaz, — innnediately 
lioisting the flag of tlie Uniteil Slates over the 
former. Guard duty was done there for two 
days, and a number of prisoners and a supply 
of arms and provisions were captured. The 
remainder of the i6lh Regiment joine>l 
Compau}' 1, and on August 8th moved to a 
point half-way between Juana Diaz and Co- 
amo, encamping along the military road. On 
August 8th the regiment nnule a flank move- 
ment to get into the rear of Coamo, camping 
in the mountain during the night and the next 
morning getting to the top of the mountain. 
A battery opened fire on the blockhouse two 
miles distant, and the Spaniards, who were re- 
treating toward Aybonitoo, opened fire on the 
United States troops. Hie United States 
troops dashed down the mountain side, three 
{[uarters of a mile, to get into position to com- 
bat the enemy. The battle of Coamo con- 
tinued over an hour, and the bulk of the fight- 
ing was done by the first battalion of the i6th 
Regiment, consisting of Companies I, A, H 
and C. Company I occupied the left of the 
battalion, and was moved to h position in 
front of the other com]ianies. which ]ilaced it 
wiien it advanced, in the line of a flank fire 
from its fellow members of the regiment. 
When the S]ianiards surrendered. Company I, 
under Capt. Wlieelock, entered the town of 
Coamo, took ])ossession of the barracks, and 
then went into camp east of the town, on that 
l)art of the battlefield which was held by the 
enemy during the earl)- ])art of the engage- 



ment, remaining there until C)ctober ist. In 
the l)attle Company I lost no men; three were 
wounded, and three had remarkable escapes, 
their clothing being filled with l)ifllet-holes. 
On October ist the regiment was ordered to 
San Juan, and started on its march, but after 
three days' marching, received orders to re- 
turn to Ponce. Capt. Wheelock was left be- 
hind in charge of the regimental camj) which 
contained 136 convalescents. These were 
furloughed, enabling Capt. Wheelock to re- 
join his regiment, and to depart with it for the 
United States. He reached Warren with his 
company on October 19, 1898. The return of 
Company I was made a glorious occasion by 
the citizens of Warren, and the surroimding 
towns. The officers were placed on waiting 
orders, and the men were given a sixty-days' 
furlough, — subsequently being mustered out 
of the service of '"Uncle Sam," December 28, 
1898. Capt. \\'heelock brought from Porto 
Rico a large collection of interesting memen- 
tos of the war. 

A portrait of Capt. ^\'heelock is shown on 
a ]ireceding page, in proximity to the above 
sketch. 




TOXZO n. XF.SMITIT a highly rc- 
;])ccte(l citizen and well known oil man 
of Warren, I'.i.. is the grandson of 
John Nesmith of Ma\\ille. Stocktcin County, 
New York, and son of I^enjamin and Louisa 
(Dickinson) Nesmith. 

Benjamin Nesmith was the fourth in age of 
a family of eight children, namely: I'rank. 
I^aniel, J.imes, Benjamin. John IMiil;nider, 



84 



BOOK OF bkx;kaphii;s 



Catherine, Margaret and Nancy. He was 
liorn ill Mayville, Xew ^'()rk. January 22. 
1820, and in 1825, with tlio rest of the family, 
went by canoe down the Conewango River to 
\\';irren. wlierc tlie\' l)uilt a log cabin along 
the banks of the ri\er. Shortly after the ar- 
rival of the family in Warren the father died, 
and Benjamin, who was bound out without 
lii.s knowledge to C'ol. John I^)errv of Cone- 
wango township, worked 011 the farm for five 
years. For several years after that he worked 
at the lumber business, saving what little 
money he earned, and in 1843 learned the har- 
ness making trade, and with L, R, Geer 
started into that business for himself. They 
carried on this business in Warren until 1855. 
when Air. Xesmith went into partnership with 
L, Arnett iK: Co., who were conducting a gen- 
eral store. He remained in this firm until 
1863, and during 1863 and 1864 he built a 
.store on Front street and started the firm of 
Crandall & Nesmith. which was dissolved in 
1870. During all the years in which he was 
connected with these firms he did an extensis'e 
business in the lumber tr;ule. .\bout this 
time, he built the Warren .S;i\ings Bank and 
bi'cime a chiu'ter member, acting as vice-pres- 
ident until his death, which occurred Octo1)er 
20, i88(j, nt the age of sixty-nine. 

In T843 l''^ married Louis;i Dickinson of 
Xew TIami)shire, who dieil in 1848. Two 
children resulted from this union, nanieb': 
Alonzo P.. and Ozro. In 1849 the harness 
shop was burned, leaving the firm several hun- 
dred dollars in debt. Air. Xesmith went to 
lUiffalo to consult with creditors, who were 
willing to accept fifty cents on the dollar in 



full payment of their claims, but Mr. Nesmith 
would not consent to this, for being \erv con- 
scientious, he wished to pay e\er\- ]jeiinv. 
which he succeeded in doing in time, b'or 
twenty-one years he was a school director and 
had always been a member of the .Methodist 
Episcopal Church. 

.\lonzo IC Xesmith. the subject of this biog- 
raphy, was born June I'i. 1844. in W.arren. 
Pa., and attended the common schools of that 
town until he was about sixteen years old. 
when he began to work for the firm of L. .\r- 
nett & Co., remaining with them until \Sf>2-(^2>' 
when he enlisted in the Union Army in Com- 
pany G, 2iith Reg., Pa. Vol. Inf. After suc- 
cessfully passing the examination at \\'ater- 
ford he went to Bermuda Front, between Ap- 
pomattox and James rivers. He saw active 
service with the 58th Pennsylvania Regiment 
at the battle of Petersburg in 1865. When Lee 
surrendered Mr. X^esmith returned to Warren, 
after receiving an honorable discharge. 

He then accepted a position as clerk with 
L. 1^. Crandall & Co. and after six months 
with that firm he went into the oil refinery, 
remaining there for o\'er a year. July 4, 1866, 
he was united in marriage at Pittsfield, P;i.. 
with Laura .\nii Sain]>le, a daughter of T5a\'id 
Sample, of Columbus. 1';t. Their children are: 
Clifi'ord B.. born A])ril ji), 181)7, who died in 
infanc}'; and Leona J., born Julv _'3, 1868, 
who is the wife of J. D. Woodard of Voungs- 
\ille. Pa. 'idiey have two children — Bernice 
X.. and ClitYord .\. Air. Xesmith then moved 
to Ellery, N. Y., where he carried on farming 
three years. Fie returned to ^\'arren and af- 
ter working si.x nK)ntlis engaged in the oil 




SAMUEL DALE IRWIN. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



87 



business on his own account, and still con- 
tinues this business, having been very success- 
ful. The family belongs to the Methodist 
Church. Mr. Nesniith is a nienil)er of the 
Eljen Ford Post, No. 336, G. A. R.. and in 
politics he is an unswerving Democrat. 

Mr. Nesniith has long been one of the most 
prominent residents of Warren, and has al- 
ways had the interests of his fellow citizens at 
heart. He has a host of warm friends, and 
is well known throughout the countx'. 




'AMUEL DALE IRWIN, whose por- 
trait is presented on the o])])osite V)age, 
the well known law_\-er and the popular 
and efficient district attorney of Forest Coun- 
ty, is one of the leading citizens of Tionesta, 
where he is very highly respected and admired 
for his personal qualities and his great ability. 
Mr. Irwin was l)orn in Franklin, Pa., March 
12, 1835, and is a son of l\ichar<I and Ilamiah 
W. (May) Irwin. 

The Irwin f.'unily is one of the oldest in this 
state and its ancestry may be traced back to 
Irish extraction and to Da\id Irwin, who was 
a native of County .\rmagh, and who married 
Margaret Berry in 1725. The couple reared a 
family of eleven children, eight sons and three 
daughters. Six of the sons emigrated from 
Ireland and settled in several states in this 
country, principally in I'ennsyh ania. New 
York and Ohio. Their descendants are nu- 
merous and they have been among the i)ioneer 
settlers in the states in which they ha\e re- 
sided. Richard Irwin, great-grandfather of 



the subject uf this sketch, was born in County 
Armagh, Ireland, in 1740. Sanuiel Irwin, 
grandfather of our subject, was liorn in Ches- 
ter County, this state, .\ugust 17, 17''>5. 1 he 
father of our subject, Richard Irwin, was born 
in White Deer township, Northumberland 
County, Pa., May 6, 1798. The great-grand- 
father, Richard, wedded Ann Steel, daughter 
of Sanniel and Ann Steel, in November, 1764. 
She was born in New London townshi]), 
Chester Count\', Pa., in 1744, and was of 
Scotch ancestry. Samuel Irwin, the ])aternal 
grandfather of our subject, was a farmer. He 
reared a family of eight children, four sons and 
four daughters, all of whom were for years res- 
idents of Venango County, this state, and had 
families, excepting some of the youngest 
children, who earlv in life removed to Illinois 
and Iowa. Of the latter Ann was the wife of 
Charles Chase and was a portrait artist, who 
achieved considerable fame as a painter. 
Richard Irwin, great-grandfather, was the 
original emigrant ancestor, and in 1776 he 
ser\ed with the Revolutionary heroes as a 
lieutenant in the connnittee of safely which 
did duty on the Pennsylvania line. Richard 
subsc([nentl\' migrated to Xorthumberland 
Countx', which then w.as practically on the 
Pennsylvania frontier. He was very acti\e 
and enter])rising and was called n])on to hll 
scN'eral iniportant offices in the times when 
men of sound judgment and public sjtirit were 
so greatly needed. Richard was a neighbor 
and a \ery intimate friend of Dr. Joseph 
Priestley, the celebrated L^iitarian preacher 
who achieved f;une as the discoverer of the 
]>roperties of oxvgen. Richard Irwin, father 



88 



liOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



of our su1)ject, was united in marriage. March 
3. iS_^4, to Ilannali W. ^Fay, daus^htor of Rev. 
Ilezckiah May. He was reared in Cherrytree 
townshi]^, in wliich liis ])arents settled in i<So2. 
To liini and liis estimable wife were licirn these 
ehildren: Samuel Dale, the sulijeel of this re- 
view; 1'" ranees Helen, horn January j^, 1S37, 
the wife of Christopher llendrick; li. May, 
Ixirn September 25, 183S. now the i)roprietor 
and editor of the \'enango Speetator; Mar- 
i;arel Jane, born Oetober _' i . 1S40. and died 
.\]iril 14, 1S77; llann.ah (i.. born Se])teml)er 
17. iS4_', and now a resident of l''r;inklin, ]^a.; 
and Kiehard Lovell, who was born .Vut^ust 27. 
1845. and died Afarch 13. 187S. 

The father of cmr snl.ject will be reealled by 
the oldest residents of this section of Penn- 
sylvania as a man of wonderful memory and of 
i^reat ability as a civil euf^ineer and snr\eyor. 
lie had unusual advantag-cs in his ynuth. hav- 
ing- the assistance of his uncle, Hon. John Ir- 
win, who was a well known and brilliant edu- 
cator, and Richard acquired an unusually thor- 
onj^ii education by persistent and painstakins;^ 
studv under the direction of his uncle. Mr. 
Irwin mastered the intricacies of civil engi- 
neering, and the history of N'enangn County 
bears am])le exidences of his ability ;nid his 
success in engineerino- and surxeying. I le was 
for ve.ars the best authority on lines and in all 
matters |)ei"taining to Lands and was constantly 
called u])on to testify to most imjiortant de- 
tails in land litigation, in which his remarkable 
memor\- served both his clients and himself 
.admirably. For fifteen years Mr. Irwin was 
county surveyor; for five years he was asso- 
ciate judge; and he also served as a memlier 



of the state hoard of revenue commissioners 
in 1S51. .\s man and as judge or in other of- 
ficial capacities, Mr. Irwin was noted as a man 
of strictest integrity, and disputes settled he- 
fore him always were adjusted to the satisfac- 
tion of all interested because the decision al- 
ways embodied the principles of justice. 

Sanniel Dale Irwin received a primary edu- 
cation in the connnon schools, and when 
twent\' years of age he entered Jefferson Col- 
lege at Caimonsburg, Pa., where he remained 
for about two years. He tlien went to Iowa 
where he was for some time principal of the 
Farmington High School. Subsequently he 
removed to Paola, Kansas, where he followed 
snr\eying, surveying lands belonging to the 
Miamis and other Indians, and also those of 
many of the white settlers, and then took up 
the study of law with Hon. W. R. WagstafT, 
He was admitted to the practice of law in 
1862. In 1861-63 'ic \\''is active in the border 
troubles, serving under Lane, Montgomery 
and other Union leaders in the battles against 
Ouantrell and other notable guerrillas of the 
Confederacy who kept alYairs so lively in Kan- 
sas and Missouri. In August, 1863, Mr. Irwin 
enlisted in Company I, 12th Regiment. Kan- 
sas \'ohniteer Infantry, and went to Fort 
Smith, .\rk., where he was assigned to import- 
ant duties at the headquarters of the frontier 
divisions of the Seventh .\rmy Corps. He par- 
ticiiiated in the .Arkansas expedition of 1864- 
65, serving i)rincipally with the engineers and 
scouts. He was honorably discharged from 
the army at Little Rock, Ark., July 15, 1863, 
and immediately returned to this state, and in 
1867 was admitted to the bar at his home, in 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



1868 our subject made the first map of Forest 
County, whicli was adopted as the official sur- 
vey and map of tlie county. In 1881 lie pre- 
I)arcd revised editions of tiie same map. In 
1868 he published a very elaborate antl valua- 
ble history of Forest County in the Forest 
Press, the whole occupying twenty-eight 
chapters and forming a most interesting and 
valuable historical document. He was elected 
a member of the Historical Society of Penn- 
sylvania in August, 1873. 

Our subject is serving his fourth term as 
district attorney of Forest County, in which 
position he has made an envialjle and excellent 
record as a lawyer of uncommon abilitv. Our 
subject is a leading member of George Stowe 
Post, No. 274, G. A. R. He was united in 
marriage March 13, 1871, to Mary Thomas, 
second daughter of Philip D. Thomas of Phil- 
adelphia. Mr. Thomas was twice married, his 
first wife, the mother of Mrs. Irwin, being 
Frances Lapp of Chester County, Pa. Mr. 
Thomas located in Tionesta in 1865, and was 
one of the leaders and hardest workers in the 
movement which successfully resulted in the 
selection of Tionesta as the county seat. He 
was twice elected a member of the State Leg- 
islature and was .sent to the State Senate from 
Tionesta. Mr. Thomas died in Philadelpiiia 
in 1878, at the age of seventy years. His only 
son, Joseph Thomas, served as a captain in the 
19th PcnnsyKani;i X'ohmtcer Cavalry in the 
Rebellion. He died in 1880, leaving a widow 
and two daughters. 

Our subject and his nuich esteemed wife re- 
side in a handsome cottage in which they set- 
tled soon after their marriage twentv-eight 



years ago, and their home is one of the most 
hospitable and most cheerful in Tionesta, not- 
withstanding that it has not been blessed with 
little ones. Like unto his father, our subject 
possesses a remarkal)le memory, and his recol- 
lection of figures and facts, particularly in law 
and literature, is one of the strongest and most 
interesting facts connected with his strong and 
congenial personality. 




^fARTSHORN S. AYER, one of the 
most energetic business men of Co- 
lumbus township, Warren County, 
Pa., has been extensively engaged in lumber- 
ing for many years, and is also interested in 
other kinds of business. He is a son of Sam- 
uel H. and Roxanna (Damon) Ayer, and was 
born March 28, 1828. 

He comes of English descent, and the first 
authentic history we have of any of his an- 
cestors is of William C. Truelove, who for 
gallant services rendered \\'illiam the Con- 
queror, was given important grants of land 
in Derby and Ayrshire. His name was at 
that lime changed to William C. .\vre, and 
has been s])elled by different branches of his 
descendants as Eyer, V.'nc. and bjres: but 
since 1648 the records show that nearly .all of 
them spelled it A\er, although some used the 
spelling Ayers. 

The next in line of descent of whom we 
have any knowledge was John Ayer. who was 
born in Nottingham, England, in 1592, and 
was on the official list of emigrants from Nor- 
wich, England, as John .\yer, a grocer, who 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



came over in 1637 on the l)rig "Mary .\nn." 
Ills wite and eij;ht children s<i()n fdlKiwcd, 
coming to this couutiv late in the year 1638, 
or early in 1639. His name is on the first 
list of the di\ ision of honse-lots at Colchester. 
Mass., now Salishnry, ]\lass. lie was the 
fatlier of Joseiih Ayer, who was hmn in i'')38, 
the year they came to tliis connlry, and by 
his wife. Mary (_"<Trlis. he had li\e children. 

Timotlp- .\\er. who was horn .March 23. 
i6yS, niarried .Xhi^ail ll:ntshorn. a danghter 
of Jonathan and .Mar\ llartshorn. Jannary 
25, 1 7-'^!, and they had a son. Joseph, the 
gTCat-gTandfathcr of the >nhject hereof. The 
latter was l)orn Jnl\- 15, 1734. ;nid m.arried 
F.lizaheth Wales, a danghter of i'dienezer and 
Elizal^eth Wales, by whom he had seven chil- 
dren. After the death of his first wife, he 
was again married — to Mai-y liailcy, and they 
had six children. 

Nathaniel .\yer, the grandfather of our 
Hartshorn S., was horn January 31. 1758. and 
became a manufacturer in INimfret. Connecti- 
cut. During the I\e\(dutionary W.ar he en- 
gaged in the manufacture of cloth for the 
Continental Army, and when his sons attained 
manhood they assisted him in conducting the 
factory, and ])re])aring the wool for weaving 
— a task whicli in those days was done in the 
houses of the ])eople. t)ne of his sons, a 
])rominenl man.ufacturer, wiis drafted into the 
nn'lilary scr\ice. and. although he could ha\e 
procured numerous substitutes, he insisted on 
serving personally, saying that "no m;in 
sliould ever die in liis shoes." Tie died in 
1842. aged eighty-four years, of camp dis- 
temper, contracted at Sacket Harbor, N. Y. 



Natlianiel .\yer was married April 23. 1780, 
and r.aised twelve children. 

Sanniel 11. .\\er was Ixirn in Pomfret, 
Conn.. J.nnuary 31. 1801. and attended the 
common schools of that place. He was a 
splendid meclianic. and attended to the inside 
management of his fatlier's factory. I^ecoming 
general su]ierintendent. Later he moved to 
Eaton township. Madison County, N. Y.. 
when the works were removed there, but, in 
1828. he went to Chautauqua County, N. Y., 
taking charge of the Hazeltine factorv at 
Jamestown. Continuing there until 1834, he 
then mo\ed to Columbus and built a factory, 
in which he i)rei)ared wool and dressed cloth. 
In 1840 he mo\ed to Clymer. where two years 
later he started a textile factory, weaving 
satinets, cassimercs. and tlannelsi — the first 
ever made in that district. He was united in 
marriage with Koxana Damon, who was l)orn 
in Ware. Mass., .May <), 1801, and they have 
four children: Hartshorn S. ; Edna L. (Clark), 
who was born in 1832; Thomas D., born in 
183C); and .Mice M. (Cowan), born in 1844. 
Politically he was a Democrat and an Aboli- 
tionist, being one of the only two voters for 
that party in the district. He was elected 
justice of the peace several times, but always 
refused to accept the office. Religiously, he 
was .-1 member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 

Hartshorn .^. .\yer, the subject of this per- 
sonal histoi'N", was born in Easton, X. Y., and 
there received a good public-school educa- 
tion, after which he went to a private, select 
school. He attended the latter but a short 
time, when he went to assist his father. In 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



91 



liis younger daxs lie was very successful as a 
teacher, liavint;- a class of 96 scholars; he 
tauglit on orii^inal lines, making a particular 
study of the character of each pupil, and to 
this his success may be largely attributed. He 
\v;'s nn apt scholar, and has been a life-long 
student, being to-day one of the best informed 
men in the township in which he resides. He 
lias matle a study of political and monetary 
subjects, has the hapjjy faculty of clearly ex- 
])ressing himself, and his opinion alwavs car- 
ries weight. After giving up his school at 
Clymer. he assisted his father in operating the 
mills, and also cared for the farm of three 
hundred acres, doing general farming and 
stock raising. In later years he bought the 
farm, and in i860, in ])artnershii) with L. T. 
Damon, purchased and conducted a grist and 
saw mill in Clymer. In 1861 Mr. Damon went 
to war as a lieutenant, and all of the work of 
operating the mill and cultivating the farm 
fell on Mr. Ayer's shoulders. At this time he 
was elected supervisor, and had to pay off all 
the volunteers and drafted men. He also 
bought an interest in a general store, with 
S. W. Stewart as partner, and contiinied this 
until he returned to Columbus, Warren Coun- 
ty, Pa., in 1875. He then dealt in lumber, 
and has since been one of the most active 
business men in the township. In addition to 
the work mentioned, he has been engaged in 
milling and dealing in cattle. He was one of 
the organizers of the Equitable Aid Cnion, 
which was built up to a membership of 40,000. 
and during his term of office as accountant 
over $9,000,000.00 passed through his hands. 
He built 'lis present home in 1883, and his 



residence is one of the few solid-brick dwell- 
mgs in the locality. 

Mr. Aycr was united in marriage with Lor- 
ana Fulkerson, .-nul, after her death, with 
-Mary P. Dutton. ! le formed a third union 
with Ellen Cady, who w.'is born at Spring 
Creek, and was educated at Edini)oro, Pa. 
After graduation she taught school a number 
of terms. She is a t;ilcntcd musician — a gift 
inherited by all her children. Of these there 
ire three — as follows: Ruth E. (Allen), an 
lujuor-graduate of theCorry High School, and 
a nnisician of splendid ability: Martha R., a 
good musician, who was educated at Ran- 
dolph. X. \'., and is now engaged in teaching 
school: and .\nnic L., who was educated in 
the district schools, and at Corry. is also a 
good musician and a vocalist of ability. Mr. 
Ayer was formerly a Republican in politics. 
but is now inclined to be independent. He 
has served as justice of the peace for the past 
ten years. He was a charter member of the 
Patrons of Husbandry, and is a member of the 
Dunkirk and Columbus lodges, F. & A. M. 



E^ ARE R. ANDREWS, who comes 
of an old and well-established familv in 
^^ this section of the state, is widelv 
known as the proprietor of the leading gen- 
eral merchandise store of Garland, Warren 
Comity, Pa. He is a son of Hiram F. and 
Sarah .\. (Thom])soii) .\ndrcws. and was born 
at Garland. Pa., May 19, 1868. 

Mr. Andrews received his primary educa- 
tion in the public schools of his district, and 



92 



BOOK OK BIOGRAPHIES 



subsequently a good business training in the | ceived his schooling. He subsequently moved 

to (iarlanil. Pa., and ;i])i)licd himself to farni- 
iny and iuniljcfiiii;'. ac(|uirin<;' a tract of one 
iumdred and tift\' acres. n])on which he 
erected a plank house antl a .saw mill. He did 
(juite a Iar<;e business, and later in life erected 
a substantial frame bouse. While engaijed in 
clearing lumber chutes from his saw mill, Mr. 
.Vndrews met with a fatal accident, falling into 
the stream, and his body was not recovered 
until live days later. A peculiar illustration of 
the superstition existing at the time is afforded 
in the fact that aid was sought of a quartz 
necromancer to recover the body. Politically, 
Mr. Andrews was a Democrat. He served as 
justice of the peace and held many township 
offices. In religious attachments he was a 
member of the Presbyterian Church, of w Inch 
he was an elder. He was a well-to-do man 
and at the time of his death owned some five 
hundred acres of land. He was united in 
marriage with Jane \'. Mandeville, a daughter 
of Francis and Catherine (\^osburg) Mande- 
ville, who was a direct descendant of two illus- 
trious families. The \'osburg family is an an- 
cient famil\- of Holland, which located in 
America at Kinderhook, N. V., in the early 
historical days. On the Mandeville side there 
is evidence to beliex'e that she is a descendant 
of Sir John Mandeville. a noted traveler and 
discoverer. The first authentic information. 
however, locates this family in France, as 
prominent Huguenots, who at the time of the 
persecutions lied tt) Holland just pre\ious to 
the massacre of the Huguenots upon that 
memorable St. Bartholomew's Eve. They are 
next found in this countrx . among the Hol- 



W'arreii Ihisiness College, .\fter graduating 
from the latter institution, he returned to his 
home at (i.arland. and assisted bis father in 
conducting the stt)re. In 1885 he l)ecaine a 
member of the tirni. and in partnershij) with 
his father, operated the establishment until 
1893, actpiiring a good, practical knowledge 
of general business affairs by contact with the 
business world. In that \ear his father dis- 
posed of his interest in the store to his son. 
i\hl;;r M. Andrews, and together the\- con- 
tinued the business until Januarx' i. 1897. 
when I'iarl R. .\udre\\s became sole owner, 
lie now h;is tlie i)rincipal store in the \illagc. 
:uid enjoys an excellent reputation as an hon- 
est, energetic, rmd enterprising business man. 
lie endea\'ors to please the ])ublic by carry- 
ing a comi)rehensive line of merchandise, and 
he treats each and every customer in a most 
courteous manner, regardless of that cus- 
tomer's station in life. The village postoffice is 
located in the building, and he \\as at one 
time in charge of it. but is now deputy post- 
master. The subject of this sketch is a great- 
grandson of Kobert .\ndrews, a nati\e of 
ICaslern I'ennsyKania, who was ;i prominent 
farmer and lumberiuan. and for many years a 
justice of the ])eace. llis wife's maiden name 
was Ross, and their mnon resulted in the l)irtb 
of eight children, namely: John, Phoebe, 
James, Arthur, Robert, Moses. Ruth (Fordj. 
and Dorcas (Huffman). 

Robert .\ndrews. the graudf.atber of ovu- 
subject, was born in Pittsfield, Pa., January 2, 
1801, and was quite j-oung when his parents 
moved to Steul)en\ille. Ohio, where he re- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



93 



landers located at Kindcrliouk, X. \.. where 
they rcniaiiieil for t^eiierations. Three broth- 
ers located at Rochester, X. ^'.. one of them 
being a mechanic who hel]jed to bnild the sec- 
ond house in Rochester: the other two were 
professional men — the Rev. John Mandeville 
and Dr. Austin Mandeville, a celei)rated phy- 
sician of the time. I'rom this branch of the 
family Jane \'. Mandeville w-as descended, her 
ancestors having finally located in Pennsyl- 
\ania. She received a public school educa- 
tion and taught school until she was united 
in marriage with Mr. Andrews, by whom she 
had four children: Hiram ]•"., the father of 
our subject: Eliphalet, Sine and Eda. Sine 
Andrews gave up his life in defense of his 
country in the Ci\il \\'ai\ lia\ing participated 
in a number of impr)rtant engagements, 
among them the battle of Antietam. He was 
taken sick in winter quarters at Aquia Creek 
and died soon after. He enlisted as a private, 
but was promoted to the rank of orderly ser- 
geant. Eliphalet married and went West 
when a young man. becoming a farmer and 
stock raiser in Xebraska. but, having suffered 
great losses through the droughts, he sold out 
and mo\ed to Plain \ iew, where he engaged 
in merchandising. He is now -residing in 
Boone County, Ark. Eda married a Mr. Hill. 
Hiram F. Andrews was born at Garland, 
Pa., and after his father's death left school 
to support his mother and the rest of the 
f;imil\-. He later went to live with a bache- 
lor nmcle. working on tlie fariu during the 
sununer mimths and teaching school during 
the winter for some eight years. Upon leav- 
ing, his uncle gave him a tract of land. In 



iX(i3 be went into the general merchandise 
business and at the solicitation of W. !>. Ster- 
rett, Es(|., he formed a partnership witii that 
gentleman, but the following year he ])m"- 
chased his partner's interest and laid the foun- 
dation for the store now conducted i)y his 
son. Peing a man of exceptional business 
qualifications, he met with great success and 
twenty ye.ars later to(.)k in his son as a part- 
ner. In uSijJ he retired from the tirm in 
fa\()r of his second son, Khlar M. In the 
meantiiue he had been identified with many 
])rominent enterprises and had established an 
enviable reputation where\er known. He 
built and operated one of the tirst steam saw 
mills e\er nm in his di>trict. being associated 
in that business with i-tobert Hill for a period 
of ten \ ears, when he dis]njsed of his share to 
his partner. During the panic of 1873 he 
formed a partnership with J. P. Moore, 
buying a saw mill property, and, as an in- 
stance of his wonderful business ability, it 
may be noted that their combined capital at 
the start was but $500, and when the partner- 
ship was dissolved they divided $40,000. He 
was also a member of the tirm of Horn it .\n- 
drews. and, although his schooling had been 
but limited, in all of his ventures he attained 
the highest success. He is a public-spirited 
man antl is always willing to support, both Ijy 
the exercise of his influence and money, any 
movement which will benefit the community. 
The home he now occupies, built by himself, 
is a mar\el of completeness, and since its erec- 
tion he has remodeled it and made several 
valuable improvements. He is quite an ex- 
tensive owner of real estate, being possessed 



iooK OF lilOGRAPHlKS 



of the followino^ properties: the store-room 
occupied l>y Watt liros.: four iiouscs in llic 
\illagc of (larland ami two farms: one is 
known as tlic W'ilkinsun farm ami the tither 
as tlie Orchard (_iro\c farm, considcrahlc fruit 
l)einij raisetl on the latter, lie is en^ai^ed ir. 
t!air\ ins;-. sheep-raisin<;' and general farmins^'. 

Mr. .\ndre\\s was jnined in wedlock witli 
Sarah A. Thdnipson. a dant^litcr of Warren 
and Ruth Thumpson am! a descendant of 
I'jiglish ancestors. They reared six children, 
as follows: Delia. Earl R., Khlar M.. Maud, 
l.eah and Flovd. Delia attended school at 
the ivocliester liiiih School. Titus\ille Acade- 
my, and the Sugar drove .\cademy, after 
wiiieh she completed a course in the Conserv- 
atory of Music at Camhridge, Pa. Earl R. is 
the sul)ject of this sketch. Khlar M.. after 
attending public schools at Oherlin and the 
Rochester Business College, formed a part- 
nership with his brother. Earl R., in a store, 
where he contimied for two \ears, when he 
sold out and entered the I'olumbia Law- 
School of Washington. I). C, from which he 
received a degree. lie took a post-graduate 
course in the office of Parmlee i*v: Lindsey, of 
W'arren. I'a.. and was admit teil to the bar of 
W'arren County January 5. 1^99. Maud, after 
receiving a public school education, took a 
course in the .Meadville Conservatory of 
Music, then at Oberlin College, and still later 
at Fort Plain, tlnally retin-ning to Meadville 
and graduating from the eonserxatorv there. 
.She is an accomplished \-ocalist and jjossesses 
a soprano voice of wide range and exceeding 
sweetness of quality. She is destined for a 
l)ul)lic career and has already made one suc- 



cessful tour with the Parker and R. B. Owens 

Concert Com]iany. l.eah attended the W'arren 
High School. ;md then took a special course 
in elocution, for which she has a reniarkal)le 
talent, at h'redonia. :uid a similar course at 
Martin College, in W ;ishington, D. C, where 
she gradujitcd in elocution and physical cul- 
tme. Like her sister, she anticipates a success- 
ful ])ublic life, as already in social circles she 
h:is demonstrated her ability. She has many 
admirers, having shown marked dramatic 
talent and a conception of the characters of 
authors which is rarel\- found in so young a 
student. Floyd, ha\ing completed a course in 
the W'arren linsiness College, is now obtain- 
ing a ])ractieal training in the ways of the busi- 
ness world in the store of his brother. Mrs. 
Andrews died in .\])ril, 1880, and in 1883 Mr. 
Andrews formed a second alliance with Mary 
A. A. Davis, a native of Wales. They have 
two children: Florence R. and Grizelle. The 
former is studying elocution and the latter 
music, but both are yet in attendance at 
school. In politics fliram F. Antlrews was 
originally a Democrat, but later became a 
Prohibitionist, running for the Legislature 
and for (Congress on that ticket; he is now in- 
clined to l)e independent. Religiouslv, he is 
a Presbyterian and has been an elder for 
twelve years. He was mainly instrumental in 
the building of the new church of that denom- 
ination, and he and C. S. ^lorris are the 
|.)rincipal contributors to its financial support. 
Social!} , he is a member of Columbus Lodge, 
No. 266, F. & A. ]\I., and was a charter mem- 
ber of the Knights of Honor. 

In 1895 Earl R. .Andrews was joined in 




D.W II) I. BALL. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



matrimony with Frances Long, a daughter 
of James C. and Mary (Leighty) Long, and 
a native of Tidioute, Warren County. After 
graduating from tlie Tichoute High School 
slie took a special course as a stenographer at 
Rouse\ille. where she was marrieil to Mr. 
Andrews. Politically, he is independent, his 
motto being, "The best man for the place 
shall recei\e my sujiport." Religiously, he is 
an aflherent to the faith of the Presbyterian 
Church. 




W'll) I. li.\LL, whose portrait is ])re- 
"^^^ sented on the opposite page, is one of 
the most prominent residents of War- 
ren. Pa., and one of the most noted attorneys 
in this state; he has a reputation as a member 
of the liar which is deserved, and of which he 
ma\' justl}' be proud. He was born in Farm- 
ington, Warren County. Pa., June 13, 1844, 
and is a son of Abel and Lucy M. (Northrop) 
Ball. He is a grandson of Moses Ball, a na- 
tive of Connecticut. Ai)el Ball, who was born 
in the state of New York, came to Warren. 
Pa., when a }()ung man. He married the 
mother of David I., and settled in Farming- 
ton townshii). Warren Countv'. engaging in 
agriculture, w hich he followed until his demise 
at the age of fifty-five years. His wife died 
December 6, 1897, aged eight \-nine years and 
six months. The parents reared one son, the 
subject of this sketch, and one (laughter, Fan- 
nie R. ; a third child, Munson M.. is deceased. 
Elementarv instruction was obtained bv 



Da\id I. Ball in the district school, and he re- 
ceived ad\anced teachings in the Jamestown. 
N. Y., L'nion School, and in the collegiate 
institute in the same city. While pursuing his 
academic course, Mr. Ball taught several 
terms in his nati\e county. He determinetl to 
adopt law as a profession, studied legal lore 
with Judge W. D. Brown, and w as admitted to 
practice in 1875. Within a short time after 
being admitted to the bar he formed a copart- 
nership with Judge Brown, the firm being 
Brown & Ball, and continuing prosperously 
until Mr. Brown w as elected to a judgeship in 
1880. After the elevation of his i)artner to 
the bench, Mr. Ball associated himself with 
Hon. C. C. Thompson, and this copartnership 
yet e.xists. 

Always very active, and possessing untiring 
energy and enthusiasm in his profession, Mr. 
Ball has been a constanth' busy lawyer. He 
has been connected with 58 reported cases in 
the Supreme Court, some of which are among 
the most celebrated in the legal annals of this 
state. He participated in the famous Ford and 
Lacy cases, which in\-olvcd the partition of 
lands in Forest County, and the ownershi]) of 
valuable lands in Allegheny County, and 
which occupied tlic attention of the court for 
two years. Mr. Ball was also connected with 
the case of the Commonwealth against Balph, 
who, with others, was charged with conspir- 
acy', growing out of the Ford and Lacy cases. 
This case attracted unusual attention, the 
question arising as to the power of the Su- 
preme Court to remove crinnnal cases to the 
Court of Quarter Sessions, the same jiower 
which is e.xercised b\- the Court of the King's 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Bench in England. Among tlie other notable 
cases in which Mr. I!;ill has api)eare(l may be 
mentioned Tolles el al. against ISeaty et al.. 
which envolved the validity of title to oil pro])- 
erlv: llabcock \s. l)a\'; and the case oi War- 
ren borongh against ( iecr. Among the many 
positions of trust which our subject has held. 
was that of one of the administrators of the 
estate of L. A. Robertson. The estate was 
valued at Sj. 500,000. The great c|uestion in 
the case was as to the domicile of the testator, 
whether in New ^'o^k or T'ennsylvania, which 
was tinalh' settled 1)\' com])romise, as being in 
the state of Xew "\'ork. Mr. Ikill's l)ond ,-is 
administrator was $f)00,ooo, — in furnishing 
which he experienced no difiicultw — so high 
does he stand in his iirofession, and among 
his fellow citizens, as a man of integritv and 
excellent reputation, Mr. Bail is known as a 
thorough student, and he gives to all his cases 
close studv, and brings to them a \aried e.x- 
jjcrience which is of the greatest value to his 
clients. 

The subject of this personal history is a 
nieml)er of Eben \. Ford Post, Xo. 331'), G. 
.\. R., of Warren. He enlisted in Companv C, 
]nde])en(lent Pennsylvania Infatitry. in July, 
iHf>2. and subsequently ser\ed in Battery H, 
Indei)endent Penns\l\-ania Light .\rtillery, 
which was stationed in Virginia during the 
threatened invasion of Washington by the 
Rebels. lie was honorably discharged from 
the arm\- in June, iSO^. 

In 1871 Mr. Mall married Eucy M. Robin- 
son, daughter of Elijah Robinson, of Earming- 
ton. They have one child, May. Politically, 
Mr. Ball is a strong Republican. He served 



as treasurer of Warren County in 1 871 -1872; 
and has also ser\e(l six years as a member of 
the school board of Warren borough, having 
been president of the board for the past three 
years. He w as chairman of a committee which 
had charge of the erection of the new Warren 
high school, a building which couibines all the 
essential features of a modern structure. ;ind 
reflects great credit upon those who sujier- 
vised its construction. 

Mr. Ball is an active meml)er of the Presby- 
terian Churcii, and is an elder therein, and also 
president of the board of trustees. 

The many friends of Mr. Ball joined in pre- 
senting his claims for appointment, in 1897, 
to a \acancy which then existed upon the 
bench of the Superior Court. .\ large number 
of strong personal letters and petitions urging 
this appointment were presented to Gov. Has- 
tings in his behalf. Among these numerous 
and \ery flattering testimonials to the high 
character and ability of Mr. Ball we append a 
letter written by one who long has known him 
and who is recognized as most competent to 
judge of him as a man and lawyer, the Hon. 
Charles H. Noyes. Mr. Noyes' endorsement 
of Mr. Ball was as follows: 

'AVarren, Pa., Sept. 3, 1897. 
'"Hon. Daniel H. Hastings, Go\'ernor of Penn- 
sylvania, . 

"Sir: Mr, David L Ball, of the Warren Bar, 
is in every way qualified to fill the \acancy on 
the bench of the Superior Court with honor to 
himself and credit to the State, He is a lawyer 
of eminent abilitv and large experience, a care- 
ful, safe and judicious counsellor, antl a good 
and clear w riter. He is a man whose character 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



is above all question, and such as to inspire 
the people with confidence in the rectitude of 
the decisions in which he may participate. 

"Mr. Ball is in every way eminently fitted 
for the position, and I am ^\a.d to know that 
his friends will present his name to you for 
this appointment. 

"Respectfully yours, 

"CHAI'iLES H. NOYES." 




R. STRYKER. Classed among the 
leading and progressive citizens of 
Corydon township, Warren Conn- 
tv. Pa., is the gentleman named abo\e, who 
is proprietor of a drug-store and grocery at 
Corydon, in which he has a complete stock 
of all articles connected with those lines of 
business. He is a man greatly esteemed by 
his fellow-citizens, and possesses many friends 
throughout the community. He was born at 
Onoville, .\. Y., May 30, 1868, and is a son 
of Jasper and Mary A. (Gil)son) Stryker. 

The Strycker family of remote anticputy 
in Holland, and all of the family in the United 
States regardless of whether their name is 
spelled Stryker, Strieker, Strycker or Stryck- 
er, are descended from a conmion ancestor. 
One branch livcil near The Hague for over 
eight hundred years, and another near Rot- 
terdam. The prefix "Van" was always used 
with the name in Holland, but was dropped 
by the two l>rotliers who established the fam- 
ily iu this country. Many distinguished men 
were numbered among our subject's ances- 
tors, and the first of whom anv record is to be 



obtained is Dirck Strycker, whose name is 
entered in the famous St. Bayous Kirk at 
Haarlem. He was born September 2. 1677, 
and became secretary of the court of law in 
Holland, and a man of importance. Motley, 
iu his "History of the Dutch Republic," goes 
back still further to one Herman Strycker, a 
monk, who abjured Romanism in 1562, and 
created a widespread revival of religion. Mrs. 
Charles in her work, entitled "Deliverers of 
Holland," gives a considerable account of his 
labors. 

A few years ago Judge Stryker obtained 
from Holland the coat of arms of the family, 
which is described in the family record as fol- 
lows: "Pall of four, or antl gules: three boars' 
heads, sable, armed azure. Crest — out of a 
ducal coronet, a griffin's head, sable, between 
two palm branches in orle vert. Suj^porters 
— two dragons, de.xter side gules, sinister side 
or, and the motto: 'In Extremis Terribilis' — 
or Most Terrible at Bay." There is also an 
interesting tradition concerning the family in 
the twelfth century. The brothers bearing 
the name of \'an Strycker were at that time 
verv clannish, and defended their rights by 
the use of their swords. A bitter feud existed 
between them and another family, and upon 
one occasion the Van Stryckers received an 
invitation to a great feast, gaining informa- 
tion beforehand that their enmities would 
there be settled. The treachery being ex- 
pected, the brothers arranged to circumvent 
it. In the midst of the feast a servant of the 
host placed uptin the table three'boars' heads, 
which was the signal agreed upon for the ex- 
termination of the Van Stryckers. But the 



100 



HOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



latter were upon their guard, and, quickly election was at the council of war at Fort Wil- 



gathcring at a certain puint, llicv turned the 
tal)les with deadly ciTcct. This tradition ac- 
counts- for the presence of the three Ijoars' 
heads on the coat of arms, and the motto of 
the family. 

in the middle of the se\enteenth centm\v 
Jan and Jacobus Van Strycker received from 
the States-General of the Netherlands a grant 
of land at Xcw Amsterdam, u])on the condi- 
tion that they take out twelve families at their 
own expense. This offer was accc|)ted in 
I '13 1, and Jacobus left one \ear ])rior to his 
brother, Jan. and founded the old Knicker- 
bocker family of that name. They became 
very large merchants, and we find theni send- 
ing a petition to the States-General of the 
Xetherlands lodging a complaint against the 
British, who had closed the markets of the 
Caribbean Islands and \'irginia. where they 
had built u]) a large conmierce, 

Jan Strxcker, a direct ancestor of our sub- 
ject, was born in Plolland in 1615. and came 
to America in l(^>^2. with his wife, two sons. 
and four daughters. He was a man of edu- 
cational .att.ainments, and his sid)se(|uent his- 
tory shows him to ha\e been prominent in the 
civil and religious affairs in the connnunity in 
which he settled. His first wife was I.am- 
bertye Seidjcrine. and he was twice married 
thereafter. He remained in Xcw Amsterdam 
one year, and in 1654 was the leader in found- 
ing a Dutch colony on Hong Island, which, 
became known as Midwont, Middlewoods. 
and is now known as Flatbush. He was se- 
lected as chief magistrate of Midwont. and 
held that ofiice for twentv vears. His last 



Ham Ilendrick. where the delegates from the 
different towns elected him as schepen. He 
was also elected as sjiecial envo_\- to "the court 
of Holland, asking for re-enforcements to pro- 
tect the colony against the attacks of the Eng- 
lish and Indians. In Ajiril, i(>'i4, he took his 
seat as representatixe from Midwont in a gen- 
eral assembly called by the burgomasters, 
held at the city hall. New Amsterdam, which 
was ])resided over by Hon. Jeremiah \'an 
Rensselaer and Go\ernor Stuyvesant. He 
was also a representative at the Hempstead 
Convention, and appears as a patentee on the 
celebrated Nichol's Patent. In October, 1673, 
he was elected captain of a military company, 
and his brother. Jacobus, was given the ])Ower 
to administer the oaths. .After a busy life, one 
of great honor to himself and of usefulness to 
the comnnmity, he died in 1697, and was 
buried witli all the honors his fellowmen could 
bestow. 

Peter Strycker, the ne.xt in line of descent, 
was born November i, 1653, and was one of 
the original i^atentees of the town of Flat- 
bush. L. I.. n;uned in the Dongon Patent, in 
1685. He was high sheriff' of Kings County 
in 1683. and was also captain of foot militia. 
He li\cd in a line Holland brick residence of 
quaint Dutch architecture, with the letters and 
date, "P. S., 1690," over the doorway. In 
1710 he purchased 4.000 acres of land in 
Kings County, near Xcw "^'ork. of Aerson 
lirothers of Brockland, bu.t. owing to the op- 
pressive and exacting rule of the British, 
which compelled so many of the Dutch to set- 
tle in New fersev. he moved to that state, 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



101 



niakmiL;- his home in Somerset County. He 
nuirried Annetze Barends. 

Jan Strycker. a son of Peter Stryckcr, was 
horn Aiioust 6, 1C1S4, and (hed August 17. 
1770. He was sacliem of Tammany Society 
and was a meml)er of Caj)!. Domenicas Van- 
demere's company of Kings County militia, 
in 1715. He resided at Flathusli, I.. I., where 
he was the owner of considerahle j^roperty. 
He was married to Margarita Schenck, and 
they reared nine chiUh^en, one of tliem Ijeing 
Peter. 

Peter Str_\xker was l)orn at Flatl)ush, L. I., 
Septemher 14, 1705. and moved to Somerset 
County, N. J., in 1730. He was a memljer of 
the Dutch Reformed Church at New Bruns- 
wick. New Jersey. He departed tliis life on 
December 28, 1774. His union with Annetze 
Demerer resulted in the birth of ten children, 
one of whom was John. 

John Stryker was born March 2, 1740, and 
died in 1786. He was left a silver-hilted 
swortl by his father, and right well he used it 
in the struggle for Inilepentlence. which sig- 
nalized that period. He was an active leader 
in the Revolutionary War, and was captain of 
a troop of light horse of the Somerset County 
militia, being afterwards attached to the state 
troops. He was a zealous patriot, a gallant 
soldier, and performed conspicuous services 
during the entire war. He jiossessed the con- 
fidence of the people, and was the trustee and 
executor of several large estates. He was the 
first of the family to drop the letter "c" and 
the dots over the "y" from bis name. He re- 
.sided in a tine house, erected bv his father on 
his large tract of land just west of Millstone. 



Captnin John Slr_\kor. upon his death, was 
laid to rest in the centet of a lifteen-acre lot on 
his farm. He was united in marriage with 
Lydia Cornell, and tluy reared ten children. 

John T. Strvker, the great-grandfather of 
our subject, was born May 13, I7'')8, and died 
April 24, 1842. He married Maria \'an Cleef, 
i)y whom he had seven children: John I.; 
Dorcas (Van Doren): Isaac V. C; Peter S.; 
Fydia (Powelson); Jane A. (X'oorhees); and 
Maria I. 

John I. Stryker, the grandfather of our sub- 
ject, was one of the earlv residents of Ono- 
ville. N. v., and at the time of settling there 
the country was practically without a road, 
an.d in a \er\- wild condition. He became one 
of the most extensive dealers in lumber in 
the state, and as it was necessary to obtain 
supplies from Jamestown, which could only 
be brouglit in small quantities, owing to the 
lack of roads, a good road became indispen- 
sable to his business. This he built himself 
and made what is one of the best roads ir. 
that district to-tlay. He was a man of al)ility 
and was very successful in all his business un- 
dertakings. He was a very active man in 
church affairs, and in everything pertaining to 
the advancement of the educational institu- 
tions of the co'ir.tr}-. He was joined in matri- 
mony with Anna Ib'okaw . who was born 
June 4. 17QI. and they had the following is- 
sue: Jasper I>. ; John M.. who married Chris- 
tie Ericson; Jane (Cargill): Catherine; Ma- 
tilda: and T^x'dia. who m;u"ried H. Babcock 
of Frewsburg. New ^'o^k. 

Jasper B. Stryker, ihe father of our subject, 
was born at Millstone, X. )., lulv 10, i.^jo. 



102 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



and received liis education at Crooked Lake. 
X. J. He ttKik up tlie occuiialion of a fanner, 
also followed Innihcring, and erected a grist 
nn'il at Onoville, New York. He was very 
successful in life, and controlled large tracts 
of land, owning at one time about 1,200 acres. 
He built a saw-mill ami manufactured rough 
pine boards, which he rafted to Pittsburg mar- 
kets, where they were sold. He married Mary 
A. Ciibson, a daughter of Robert Ciil)Son. who 
was bom in Belfast, Ireland, and came to 
.\merica at the age of twenty-one years. He 
located at Rochester. Xew York, and at the 
age of twenty-four years married Freelove 
Corby. He prepared for the ministry, and 
was ordained in the Reformed M. E. Church 
at the age of thirty years. For many \ears 
he was engaged in missionary work, and con- 
tinued to preach the Gospel until he reached 
his seventy-eighth year. He was the progeni- 
tor cf six children, namely: Mary A. (Stry- 
ker). mother of our subject; Jane (Arnold); 
Cynthia L. (Stoddard); Nancy, the wife of 
Th.eron Daly: and Jose])h D.. who died in 
infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Stryker became the 
parents of four children: Cora A., born Janu- 
ary 2-j. 1S57: Effie M., born March 25, 1859: 
John L., born Jul)- 27, i8C)i, died January 18, 
1889; and L. R., our subject. Mr. Stryker 
died at the age of seventy-eight years. 

L. R. Stryker received his early mental 
training in the ])ublic schools of Jamestown 
and Salamanca, and subsequently attended 
the Buffalo College of Pharmacy, where he 
graduated with the title of Ph. G. He then 
worked for two years as clerk in the store of 
H. E. Crandall at Salamanca, N. Y., and in 



1896 came to Corydon. Pa., where he erected 

a store building, formed the partnershii) of 
Stryker & Reeves, carrying a line of drugs 
and groceries. He has since bought out Mr. 
I^ee\-es. and now operates the store alone. 
His stock includes drugs, druggists' supplies, 
groceries, meals, seeds, stationery, tobacco, 
cigars, and confectionerv. He alstj does a 
large business in compounding jjrescriptions. 
He is an exceedingly popular young man, and 
is highly respected in business circles. He 
has recently been selected as treasurer, and 
head of the sales department of the Corydon 
Creamery Association, which is an excellent 
tribute to his general business ability. He 
!i\es at the old homestead with his mother, 
and the farm consists of one hundred and 
twcnt}' acres. Politically, he is a Re])ublican. 
whilst fraternally he is a member of Cattarau- 
gus Lodge. No. 239. F. & A. M. 



§OHN G. GRINDL.VY. The family, of 
which the gentleman whose name heads 
this sketch is a worthy scion, is of 
Scotch origin, the older members coming di- 
rectly from Scotland. .V ])cculiar feature in 
connection with the Grindlay family is that 
members of .six generations lie buried in War- 
ren County, Pennsylvania, viz.: Great-grand- 
father of our sul)ject, grandfather, father, 
brothers and sisters, children, grandchildren. 
The great-grandfather was seventy years old 
when he arrived in .\merica, and the grand- 
father who accompanied him was born in 
Lockesbie. Dumfriesshire. Scotland. The re- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



103 



mains of tliese two. fatlicr ami son. lie liuried 
in Yoimo^sville, Pa. 

John G. ("irindlay is a son of David (irind- 
lay, who came to America from Glasgow, 
Scotland, in 1833. and landed at New York. 
Having friends in Warren County. Pa., he 
]iroceeded thither as soon as possilde. About 
the first thing he did after arri\ing in Pennsyl- 
vania was to look about him for a partner to 
share his joys and sorrows. Me discovered 
all the desirable c|ualifications in ]:)rettv .\gnes 
Short, a daughter of Robert Short, of War- 
ren, and after a brief courtship, their marriage 
occurred in 1834. the year following his ar- 
rival in America. Having laid the founda- 
tions for a home, Mr. Grindlay set to work 
to make that home a happy one by entering 
at once into business. He began the remun- 
erative occupation of contracting and build- 
ing, which he carried on successfully for over 
fifty years. Many houses built by him are 
still standing in that vicinity, antl, although 
marked with age, show evidence of much orig- 
inality and superior skill. His own comfort- 
able residence was a model of neatness and 
convenience. In his jiolitical \-iews lie ad- 
liered closely to the principles of the Repub- 
lican party. He died at the ripe old age of 
seventy-six years: his life was considered well 
and nobly spent and his good deeds are still 
fresh in the memory of the recipients of his 
kindness. He and his faithful wife were pa- 
rents cjf the following seven chiklren: Rob- 
ert; Agnes; John G.. subject of this sketch; 
David; Mary .\nn: William and a second 
Agnes. 

John G. Grindlax' was l)orn in Warren 



County, Pa.. September 17. 1839. lie was 
educated in the public schools of \\'arren. 
where he recei\-ed a good, practical education. 
When about twenty years of age he l)egan 
learning the carpenter's trade by working with 
his father, continuing for a period of five vears. 
Ijccoming perfectly familiar with all the details 
and particular features of the business, and 
then engaging in the same occupation on his 
own account. From that time to the present 
day, he has followed contracting and builcling 
in Warren and vicinity, occasionally taking 
contracts in other counties. Like his father, be- 
ing \ery skillful, he has met with greater suc- 
cess than he anticipated. I'inished products 
of his hand and brain niav be seen in all parts 
of the town of Warren, and in man\- parts of 
Warren County. He enjovs the reputation 
of putting only first-class material into all 
buildings intrusted to him. \o frauds are 
covered up, either b\- him or his men, be- 
cause he sees to it that no frauds exist. Mary 
C. Fellers, a daughter of William Fellers, of 
Clarion County, Pa., became his wife. This 
happy event was celebrated l)efore manv 
guests, on the 13th da\- of December. 1864. 
Their union was ];)rolific of the following six 
children: David: Ida ]\Iay; William F. ; Rob- 
ert M.: Royal C.: and Lucerne B. 

In his political oi^inions Mr. (irindla\' coin- 
cides with the Republicans, but his many 
friends could ne\er pre\;iil upon him to ac- 
cept ot^ce. Socially he has been a member of 
the I. O. O. F. for more than twenty-fi\-e 
years, being also a charter nienilier of the Re- 
becca Encampment, and a member of tlie .\. 
O, U. W. for about sixteen vears. 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 




rpN HILLIP J. TRUSHEL, a retired busi- 
ness mail of Warren, Pennsvlvania, 
was Inirn in Sundliausen, Alsace, 
l'"ranco, now (iernianw on l'\'l)rnary 2S, 1830, 
and is a son of Plnllij) and Mary (Wolf) Trns- 
liel. He is an influential and useful citizen. 
such as luakc a connnunity better by having' 
lived in it. 

Mr. Trusliel has had an interesting' and 
speculati\e business career, intersi)ersed with 
changes which h;ive been made at times when 
he saw a point of acUantage in his fa\'or, thus 
])roving conclusively his ca])acity and ability 
to turn a business event safely into his own 
channel. Me is a man endowed with a well- 
balanced mind and an eye that can success- 
fully measure a future busiuess transaction, 
lie kee])s in close touch with the world in its 
adxancement, and, though born in a foreign 
land, is a deserving, thorough-going and loyal 
citizen of his adopted country. 

Phillij) Trushel, father of our subject, was 
Ixirn in Alsace, France, in 1803, and was mar- 
ried to Mary Wolf, a native of Boofzheim, Al- 
sace. They came to .\merica in 1839 and set- 
tled in Warren borough, where they lived the 
rest of their lives. Phillip died in 1862 at the 
age of fifty-nine, and his consort died at the 
age of seventy-three years. They reareil a 
faiuily of six children, who were: Mary (Kel- 
ler): rhilliii J.: F.va (Xorthrop), deceased; 
Jacob (deceased); George, and Caroline (Sill). 

Our subject received his primary education 
in the schools of his nati\'e country, and also 
attended Warren schools after coiuing to live 
in this couiUry. Froiu 184CJ to 1861 he fol- 
lowed life on the river in the lumbering Inisi- 



ness. In 1861 he left the lumbering industry 
and began the grocer's business in Warren, 
lieing associated with his sister Mary (Keller), 
under the lirui name of I'. J. Trushel iS,: Co. 
They continued in business until iSCn). when 
the entire stock was sold, ami .Mr. Trushel 
again emb.arked in the lumbering enterprise, 
which he followed for one \ear, when he re- 
entered the grocer's business with Heiu"_\' 
Thomas, the style of the lirm name then being 
Thomas & Trushel. This co-partnership 
lasted two years, when Mr. Thomas retired 
from the firm and C. P. Henry was taken in 
as a partner, and for four years the firm of 
Trushel & Henry supjilied the waiUs of the 
people in the vicinity from a well-supplied line 
of first-class groceries. Mr. Trushel sold his 
interest in the business to his partner, Mr. 
Henry, and started another store, having for 
his business associate his sou, who remained 
in the store but a short tiiue, and was suc- 
ceeded by T, S. Messner, and two years later 
]Mr. Trushel sold his interest to W. H. Lane. 

In 1880 Mr. Trusliel opened a store in Glade 
township, at that time just across the creek 
from Warren borough, but now in the bor- 
ough, having for his ]iartncr his son .Vlbert. 
After one year Mr. Trushel bought pro]K'rt_\' 
and erected a large and commodious brick 
store building', where the business was after- 
ward conducted. His son .\lbert died in 1889. 
and a short time after this Mr. Trushel ad- 
mitted to partnershij) his son-in-law, Ale.xan- 
der L. Shaw; they conducted the business to- 
gether until \i>qC\ when Mr. Trushel sold his 
interest to his son, l-'rauk G., who now con- 
ducts the business in connection with .\. P. 




CHARLES DINSMOOR. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



107 



Sliaw. Til \^rjf) Mr. Trusliel and Mr. Shaw 
Iniilt a larye block 44x70, wliicli is u.scd for 
store, office and rooniini;' purjioses. It is lo- 
cated on the east side. 

In 1849 Mr. Trushcl chose for his bride 
pretty Marguerite Yegel, a native of his child- 
hood home, Alsace. She had journeyed to 
America with her father, George Yegel, who 
settled in Warren, and here she met and ad- 
mired the manly youth whom Fate had de- 
creed to be her life comi)anion. The circum- 
stance of their births very likely did much to 
foster and encourage afYection and smooth the 
])ath that led to love and marriage. Six chil- 
dren were the fruit of this union, and were 
named as follows: M. Matilda, deceased, mar- 
ried John \\"ickizer of Warren, and the\- had 
two children, — L. May ami Florence: .Vlbert, 
who died in 1889, aged thirty-seven, married 
Annie Friese, who survives him and now re- 
sides in Philadelphia; Frank G., who married 
Mrs. Sally Magee of Warren: Fdwin, de- 
ceased; Alice, who married A. L. Shaw of 
^^'arren: and Clara, who married C. P. Con- 
arro of \\'arren, and they have one son whom 
they call Harry. 

Mr. Trusliel was formerly a Republican, but 
is now a strong Prohibitionist, and during his 
active career has held various town offices. 
He is an active member of the l*'\angelical 
Church. 



,H.\RT.FS DTXSMOOR, who has long 
been a prominent figure in the public 
eye in the aff'airs of Warren, Warren 
County, Pa., is a man of exceptional capabili- 




ties as is evidenced by his bright record as a 
member of tlie legal profes.sion. Tie is a son 
of George F. and Catharine (Harper) Din.s- 
moor, and was born at Alabama Center, Gen- 
esee County, N. Y., September 19, 1834. 

Mr. Dinsmoor comes of distinguished an- 
cestry and traces his lineage directly to John 
Dinsmoor, of Londonderrx', Ireland, who 
came to America in 1719. and settled at Wind- 
ham, X. H., being the founder of the Dins- 
moor family in this country. Among his nu- 
merous descendants belong: Samuel Dins- 
moor, Sr., who became governor of New 
Hampshire and was a Meml)er of Congress in 
181 1 and 1812, — he, being at the head of the 
roll, was the first member to record his vote 
in favor of the measures which led up to the 
War of 1812; Samuel Dinsmoor, Jr., who al- 
so was governor of the Granite State; Robert 
Dinsmoor, the "Rustic Bard," a New England 
poet, whose meritorious lines in the Scotch 
dialect warrant his classification with the fa- 
mous poets of Scotland; also Colonel Silas 
Dinsmoor, who won fame as an Indian agent 
and whose honest endeavors to elevate the 
Cherokee and Choctaw nations to the Ameri- 
can standard of civilization will long be re- 
membered; and William B. Dinsmoor, now 
president of the Adams I",x])ress Comi)any. 

George F. Dinsmoor, the father of our sub- 
ject, was born at Keene. X. H., in 1794. and 
for many years resided in Genesee County, X. 
Y. In 1835 he migrated froiu Xew ^'o^k 
State to Pennsylvania, locating in Elk town- 
ship, Warren County, where he resided until 
his death, in 1868. He was joined in Hymen's 
bonds with Catharine Harjier. a daughter of 



lOS 



HOOK OF BIOGRAPHIKS 



George Harper, of Elba. Genesee County. N. 
'^'., and slio ilicil in iSjj. at tlio as^o of sixty- 
six years. 

Charles Dinsmoor ohtaiiicil his iiiti-lk-ctnal 
traiiiiuL;' under the most adverse cireum- 
stances. lie entered the common seliools of 
h.lk townshi]), Imt liis attendance there was 
\erv irret;ular. owin^' to the fact that his ser- 
vices were re(|uired at home to aid in the su])- 
port of a lari^e family. llo\vc\'er. he took ad- 
\-antage of e\'ery opjjortnnity which ])resented 
itself for his advancement and hecanie a man 
of intellectual attainments, lie left home in 
1850. and through his own etYorts was enabled 
to attend successively the academies at War- 
ren. Snieth|)ort. and Coudersport in Pennsvl- 
\auia. and at ivandoliih. X. \'. lie followed 
the trade of a printer at Smethport, I'a.. Corn- 
ing. X. ^'.. and Coudersport. i'a.. and then .at- 
tended i\;m(lol|)h Academx' for one \ear, 185^)- 
^y. .and read law in the oflice of W'eeden & 
Henderson at that place for si.x months. He 
again took up the printer's trade at Warren. 
Pa., at the same time teaching school. He 
followed this plan of work for some eleven 
years, during the last three of which he ef- 
ficiently scr\ed as editor of the W arren Led- 
ger. In 1838 he completed his l;iw studies 
under !'.. W. Lacy, at Warren, and was ad- 
mitted to the Warren Counts ll.ar in i^eptem- 
bcr. i85(;. in the following year he was ap- 
l)ointed assistant United States m.arshal. and 
took tlie census of the nortliern half of War- 
ren County. He was then elected to tlie of- 
fice of justice of the i)eace and continued in 
that capacity for a period of fifteen \ears. when 
he resigned of Iiis own volition. 1 le has held 



many of tlie Ijorough offices, from town clerk 

to chief biu'gess. during his many years resi- 
dence at Warren, and it may safely be said 
that no man is in higher public favor, yet from 
choice he has not entered acti\el_\- into the field 
of politics. In 1878 he recei\ed the election 
to the otTicc of school director and his faithful 
discharge of his dut\' as such has greatly added 
to the clhcicncy of the schools. .\s a lawyer, 
our subject's re])utation extends throughout 
Warren and adjoining counties, where he 
practices in the Supreme Court, and the 
I'nited .States Circuit and District courts. He 
has, too, acted very frequently in the capacity 
of referee and master, and his opinions are 
quite numerous in the state reports. 

In ( )ctober. 1861. Mr. Dinsmoor married 
Elizal)eth C. Morrison, a daughter of .\bijah 
Morrison, who served two terms as sheriff' of 
Warren Count}', being elected in 1840 and 
again in 1846, an honor which but one other 
man has ever enjoyed. He was a son of James 
Morrison, who purchased wliat are known as 
the Morrison I'lats, just below Warren, erect- 
ing thereon a large dwelling house, one of the 
oldest landmarks in the county, .\bijah was 
born in Mead township, in 1807. on what is 
now known :is the Rogers farm. He was ex- 
tensi\elv eng.aged in lumbering in the count}' 
and \\;is ;t]so a merchant, being a \'ery ]ironii- 
nent man u]) to the time of his death, in 1869. 
He was a Democrat in ])olitics and was for 
years a constable of Warren. He married Eu- 
phemia J. Deniing, a daughter of Josiah Dem- 
ing. a pioneer of S]iring Creek township, and 
she died at Warren in 1878. .Mr. arid Mrs. 
Dinsmoor became the parents of four child 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



109 



ren: Imogen G., who graduated from Warren 
High School in May, 1885, married Charles 
Herbert Morse of Warren, Pa., and with their 
two children, Charles Dinsmoor and Mildred 
I'dizahcth, they reside at Lockjiort, X. Y.; 
Loten A., deceased; Harry, horn in August, 
1873, died in March. 1874: and Frederick, 
born June 13, 1875. a bookkeeper in the War- 
ren Savings P>ank, married ITelma Peterson of 
Kinzua, Pa., and they have one child, I'rances 
\i\ian. 

Sergeant Loten .\. Dinsmoor, of (."omjianv 
I, i6th Reg., Pa. \'ol. Inf., the .second child of 
Mr. and Mrs. Dinsmoor, was Ijorn in Warren, 
January 25, 1870, and graduated from Warren 
High School in 1887. He then taught school 
in Pleasant township for several terms, in the 
meantime preparing himself for college. He 
entered Yale College, pursued a literary 
course and was graduated in the class of 1894. 
.\fter leaving Yale he returned to Warren, 
where he devoted his time to reading law in 
the office of Dinsmoor & Peterson. He 
joined Company I in 1895. He took a deep 
interest in military affairs and was held in the 
highest regard by his fellow .soldiers. He was 
adxanced to corporal and then to sergeant, 
and was also appointed to the office of com- 
Iiany clerk. As a soldier he was always faith- 
ful to duty and deeply inspired with patriot- 
ism. He went willingly to the front in the 
\\ ar with S]);iin. and in the many letters sent 
home he ne\er complained of the hardships 
at camp. It may be said that he served his 
country and his generation heroically and in 
the prime of young manhood and vigor it is 
particularly sad that he should have been 
called to his last reward. 



Politically, our subject favors the Demo- 
cratic party. He was chairman of the Demo- 
cratic county committee, in the only two suc- 
cesshd contests for Member of Congress, 
which the party made for a ])eriod of more 
than thirty years. He has always taken a 
deep interest in the Strnthers Library Asso- 
ciation, and was for several years its treasurer 
and a member of its board of con l ml. In 
1868 he joined the order of Odd Fellows, and 
is a past grand of Warren Lodge, No. 339. 
Mr. Dinsmoor's portrait acconip;inies this 
sketch of his life, being- presented on a pre- 
ceding page. 



Ygl ON. LANSING D. WETMORE, ex- 
r=H president judge of the Sixth Judicial 
V — • District of Pennsylvania, well 
known as a brilliant and successful member of 
the legal profession, was born in Pine Grove 
township, Warren County, Pennsylvania, Oc- 
tober 18, 1818. He is a son of Hon. Lansing 
Wetmore and a grandson of Parsons Wet- 
more. 

The grandfather of the gentleman above 
named. Parsons Wetninre. was an earlv .set- 
tler in Whitestown. His wife was a daughter 
of Hugh White, the first settler west of the 
Dutch settlements in the Mohawk Waliey. in 
the state of New York, and he was the found- 
er of Whitestown, in that valley. His son. 
Hugh White, was the founder subse(|uently 
of Cohoes, New York. Originally the White 
family were natives of the vicinity of Hartford. 
Connecticut. 



no 



BOOK OK BKKIKAI'HIKS 



Hon. Lansing Wetmore. father of the sub- 
ject of our review. \\<is Ixini at \\ hitcstown. 
Xew York. .August 28, 1792, and died in War- 
ren. Pennsylvania. Noveml)er 15. 1857. I lis 
fatlier. Parsons Wetmore, was a jjioneer settler 
in Whilestdwn. whither he went with his par- 
etus in ijSf). In 1815 Lansing Wetmore mi- 
grated to Warren County. Pennsyh'ania. In 
18 1() he niariied Caroline Ditniars. daughter 
of .Xhraham .'^. Ditmars. His wife survixed 
him until June, 1878. His mother was Aurelia, 
tiaughter of Judge Hugh White of W'hites- 
town, Xew ^'iirk. In iSjo Lansing Wetmore 
remo\-ed to Warren, where, and in the \-icinity 
of which town, he resided until his death. He 
was ajipointed the fu'st prothonotary of W'ar- 
ren Countv hv Go\ernor Findley in 1819, 
which office, together with those of register, 
recorder of deeds and clerk of the several 
courts, he held until the spring of 1821. In 
1824 he was again appointed to hold the same 
ofifices, the appointment being made l)y Gov- 
ernor Shulze, and he held these important po- 
sitions until i8_^o. In tS^i he was admitted 
to the bar and continued in the practice of law 
until his retirement to his farm in Conewango 
in 1842. In 1 85 1 Mr. Wetmore was elected 
one of tlie associate judges of W.arren County, 
and he lilled the judgeshi]) with abilitv ami 
faithfulness for a term of li\e years. The sun- 
set years f)f his life were sjient in agricidtural 
l)ursuits. He was always ready to further all 
educational or literary i)rojects, as well as all 
enterprises having for their purpose general 
imi)rovement in the construction of roads, 
Ijridges, etc., the general welfare of the peojile 
and the progress of tlie county. 



The father of Lansing D. Wetmore came to 

this county when it was a wilderness, but as 
time pressed on he was rewarded by witness- 
ing, and materially assisting in. its steady de- 
velopment and a rapid growth of industrv 
w ithin its bcnmds. 

The competent fortune which crowned liis 
life-labor was the slow growth of industry, 
fair dealing and good judgment. He was one 
of the original stockholders of the Sunbury & 
Erie, now the Philadelphia & Erie, Railroad 
Company. In politics lie was a strong adher- 
ent of the old Whig party. Religiously he 
was a devoted and inthiential member of the 
Presbyterian church. His children were: Lan- 
sing D.. our subject: Jerome \\'.\ Angnstus 
P.: Sidney A.; Caroline L. : Charles C. ; Sarah 
M.: Catherine B. (Hutcliinson); and George R. 

Lansing D. W^etmore, the eldest child of the 
aboxe enumerated family, received his early 
mental training in the district schools and 
academy of Warren. He obtained his ad- 
vanced education at Union College, New 
York, from which he graduated in the class of 
1841. Immediately after leaving college he 
took up the study of law in W'arren, and white 
])ursuing this course he taught several terms 
in the .Suiethiiort .\catlemy. He was achnitted 
to the bar in 1843, and at once began the 
Ijractice of his chosen profession. Later lie 
became a ])artner in the firm of Wetmore, 
Xoyes & Hinckle)-. Mr. \\'etmore from the 
beginning was very successful, and his al)ility 
soon made him well known personally and b\' 
reputation. In the fall of 1870 he was elected 
president judge in the district comjiosed of 
Erie, Warren and Elk counties. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



111 



During' a term of ten years lie jierfnrmeil t!ie 
duties of tlie ]ircsi(linjL;' juil.q'esliii) with that 
])roniptness ami ellicieucy which are charac- 
teristic of all that he undertakes. 

For some time previous to the death of his 
brother, Charles C Judge W'etmore had Ijeen 
interested with him in an extensive lumber 
business. Upon the demise of his brother, 
in April, 1867, Judge \Wnmore was obliged to 
assume sole charge of the lumlier business, 
and from that time until the present he has 
been engaged actively and extensively in the 
manufacture and sale of lumber. 

Previous to his election to the bench Judge 
AVetmore was president of the First National 
Bank of Warren, a position which he resumed 
on his retirement from the jutlicial bench, and 
which he held until January, 1894. 

At the expiration of his judgeship so well 
pleased were the members of the bar with his 
conduct and rulings that highly compliment- 
ary resolutions expressive of great regret at 
his retirement were adopted by the l)ar of Erie 
County and by the court at a session held in 
Warren, in January, 1881. 

Lansing D. \\'etmore is one of the few who 
seem to have discovered the equilibrium of 
this life, a man who goxcrns himself l)y the 
philosophy of good nature, and who seeks to 
enjoy, and to assist others also to enjoy, life 
as it passes. He is a man of literary taste, and 
is considered a discriminating and just critic. 
He was one of the original projectors of the 
Struthers Library, a most liberal contributor 
to its funds, and has been one of its board of 
trustees. Mr. \\'etmore is a public spirited 
man, and with his wife is constantlv engaged 



in the dispensation of many well-direc'.ed char- 
ities. 

Judge W'ctiiiorc has been twice married. 
His first wife was Miss B. Weatherby of War- 
Ven, who died in 1856. four }ears following 
their marriage, leaving a daughter, who is the 
wife of Lieutenant J. P. Jefferson. In 1858 
the Judge married Miss Maria C. Shattuck of 
Groton, Massachusetts. They have reared 
three children: Edward D.: Frederick S., de- 
ceased; and Albert L. 




IRAM HOUGHTON BRANCH is a 
wurthy and highly esteemed citizen, 
and one of the pillars of societ}' in 
Warren borough. Pa. He received his early 
schooling in the countr\- district schools of 
Shefifield and Glade townships, after which he 
took a finishing course a* the Warren High 
School. On returning from school he ap- 
plied himself to farming and lumbering, w hich 
he followed for some time, but now devotes 
his attention solely to farming. He was born 
in Mead townshiji, Warren County. Pa., 
March 7, 1845, "^ luiglish lineage, antl is 
happy in the knowledge that he belongs to 
one of the oldest American families — his an- 
cestors being among the first Puritan settlers 
in America. 

The founder of the Branch family in Amer- 
ica, was one Nathan Branch, in fact the name 
Nathan has been a favorite name throughoMt 
each generation. Nathan Branch, M. D., 
grandfather of Hiram H., was born in New 
England, where he was reared and educated. 



112 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



choosing from amon_cf tlie numerous useful 
avocations in life the profession of niediciiie. 
He was a skillful physician, and successfully 
continued in |)raetice until old age rohhed him 
of his activity. .\t the age of eighly-three he 
laid asitie iiis work and joined the "innumer- 
able caravan" to his long home, having lived 
a useful and well-spent life. His de\-oted wife 
sur\i\e(l him only a few years: and when she 
too, reached the milestone of four-score and 
three years in her earthh' iournev. she re- 
joined her companion in the life beyond llic 
grave. 

Xathan the second, son of grandfather 
Xathan r>ranch. was born in 1805: attended 
the (iroton. Xew York, schools and received 
a fair education. Later he started in business 
for himself at (Iroton. and for several years 
dealt in general merchandise. In iS^'') he re- 
moved to \\ arren Conntv. fa., and opera' e 1 a 
farm in Pleas;uit township, where he followed 
the occupation of lumbering also for a period 
of three years. He became lessee of the Car- 
ver House in 1839. and conducted the hotel 
for a short time. He was afterward jM-opri- 
etor of the Barnes Hotel and farm in connec- 
tiou. but keeping hotel was not his calling 
and he returned to his former occui)ati()n. 
farming and lumbering. As to ](ublic matters 
in early life he cast his vote with the old Dem- 
ocracy. I)ut later exjierienced a change in po- 
litical views and folding his tent, he stole 
quietly from the Democratic cam]), entered 
the rank and file of the Republican column, 
cast his first l\ei)ul)lican vote for John C. Fre- 
mont, and thereafter remained true to the 
principles of that party. He was twice mar- 



ried, his first union being with Sallv .\nn 
l)ol])h, by whom he had three children — Min- 
erva, Ursula and another who died in infancy. 
.\fter becoming a widower he was again unit- 
ed in marriage with Mar_\' .\nn Houghton, 
who was born in W'eedsport. Xew York. 
Their union was blessed with nine children, 
whom the\- named as follows; Xathan J.; 
Mary I'^.: Hiram H.. our subject; Levi: Tru- 
man, tleccased; August D.: Levi E. ; Lewis 
\\ .. and Benjamin F. 

Xathan Branch died June j6. iS(S6. In 
1870 our subject was united in marriage with 
Mary Wright, daughter of William \\'right. 
She was born in Crawford County. Pa., and is 
the mother oi a family of nine children, viz.: 
Jessie, wife of Benjamin Donovan; Edith; 
Mary; Lyle \\'. ; Wayne H.; Ervine; Gladys 
.\.; Lynn and Allan. 

Politicallv Hiram H. Branch was formerly a 
Republican. l)ut lately has cast his fortunes 
with the "silver" Democrats. He is an active 
member of the Knights of Pvthias. 




ORTOX E. EDEX. a well-known 
citizen of \\'arren. Warren Ccnmtw 
Pa., has a wide re])Utation as an 
electrician, not alone in the L'nited States, but 
in England. -Scotland, and S]iain. as well, 
where he has performed im])ortant services in 
his profession. Since 1893 he has served as 
electrical inspector of the Underwriters" Asso- 
ciation of the Middle Department, and his 
office is located at IMttsbm-g. Pa. 

Mr. Eden is a representative of a prominent 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



113 



old l\iiglisli faniiK', and was born in tlial coun- 
try. His ,i;randfatlier was William I'Idcn. who 
was eclucateil at Oxford, luigland, and there- 
after entered the Church of England, his tirst 
cliarge l)eine;- at Bekesbourne, Count\- of 
Kent. Me married Lady Grey de Ruthyn, and 
their issue was: Henle\-: Frederick; Flora; 
Charlotte; Elizabeth; Arthur; Morton Ed- 
;\ard, antl Robert C. 

Robert C. Eden, the father of the subject 
of this personal history, was born at Bekes- 
Ijourne, County of Kent, England, in 1837. 
and received a superior education at Oxford. 
He sailed from Liverpool in 1859 for .\nierica, 
and landed in New York, where he remained 
for a short time. He then went to tlie state 
of Wisconsin and resided with his relatives 
until he engaged in the lumber business. He 
continued at lumbering until the outbreak of 
the Ci\il War, w hen he enlisted under Captain 
Cox in Compan\- .\, 37th Reg., Wis. \'ol. Inf. 
He was appointed a colonel in 1864, and 
served throughout the siege of Petersburg. 
In April, 1865, he was given an honoral)!e dis- 
charge. Upon lea\ing the army he returned 
to England, and there became associated, as 
chief engineer, with the Anglo-American 
Brush Electric Light Company, and ct)n- 
timied in that position until 1888. He then re- 
turned to America and went into the insulat- 
ing wire business at Newark. N. J. Li 1890 
he removed to Seattle, Wash., and became en- 
gaged in lumbering, at which he continued 
until 1893, when he was appointed electrical 
inspector of the L^nderwriters" Association of 
the Middle Department. He has since held 
that position, one for which be is well cpiali- 



lied by reason of his years of experience in 
that line. Mr. Eden has been a member of 
the Masonic order for man_\- years. He mar- 
ried Miss Annie Garnar, and they became the 
])arents of the following children: Mabel We- 
nonali, uluj was born at Oshkosh,Wis.. .Marcii 
20, 1866; Morton Edward, who was born at 
Oshkosh, Wis., September 17. 1867; Ethel E., 
who was born at New]iort, R. L; Reginald 
Yeh'erton, who was born at .\rdrisliaig. Scot- 
land, December 15, 1871 ; Syole C; Charlotte 
A. Maude; Fitzroy Lionel. 

Morton E. Eden, the subject of this recortl, 
obtained his early education at Bruges. Bel- 
gium, and Bedford, England, receixing a high 
intellectual training. On the 31st of January, 
i8(S4. he became identitied with the Anglo- 
.\merican Brush Electric Light Company, as 
assistant engineer, and continued there until 
1889, giving excellent satisfaction. In that ca- 
pacity he had charge of the ligliting of nearly 
all of the large exhibitions in that country, in- 
cluding those of the Fisheries Colonial Royal 
Jubilee, held at Manchester. He also sujierin- 
tended the constructif)n of the wiring of the 
Colossus, the first man-of-war ever lighteil in 
that way, after which he went to Glasgow as 
assistant engineer for the lighting of the ex- 
hibition there. In all his professional under- 
takings he was closely connected with Mr. W.- 
M. Mordley, one of the most prominent elec- 
tricians in England. On April 25, 1889, he 
left London on the Lydian Monarch for this 
country, and after landing at New York he 
went to Newark, N. J. He became identified 
with the Calkuuler Insulating Companv of 
.\'ew lersev, carrving out their contracts. 



114 



HOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Thereafter he built a double-track trolley rail- 
road at roai)od_v. Mass., and llicii joined the 
Brush Electric Company at Cleveland, ( )hi(), 
which was a part of the f^nglish coni])an\ hv 
wliicli ho had formerly been emploved, and 
with them he remained until Aui^ust _'_'. 1S91. 
He then went to Spain for the Anolo-Anieri- 
can Brush l''.leetric Light C()mpan\- to build 
a trolley road at I]ilboa — it being the lirst 
constrncted in that conntry. While a resident 
of Spain he wired three of the war ships which 
were sunk at Manila during the late war. He 
stayed at Jhlboa until June 4, 1892, and then 
went to England, where he remained until 
Jid\- 21,, when he took passage on the Cmbria 
from Ei\c'ri)(jol to Xew N'ork City. He then 
severed his eonneeiion with the English com- 
pany. He went to Newark, X. J., and on 
August 22, 1892. joined the Underwriters' As 
sociation as electrical inspector. The follow 
ing \ear he was transferred to the Middle De- 
partiuent, witli head([uarters at Pittsburg, and 
this position he still holds. He is a man of 
pleasing ])ersonality and strength of character 
and stands high in the estimation of all with 
whom he is aci|uainted. 

(.)n August _'-', jS()_i, 1k' was luiited in mar- 
riage with Mary h'.lizabeth Stewart, whose 
father, James T. Stewart, came from l'".din- 
burgh, Scotland, and settled in Rochester, 
X. Y., where he went iiUo the rubber busi- 
ness, founding the Stewart Rubber Companv. 
Two children have Idessed this union: Robert 
Henley, who was born at Staten Island, N. V., 
September 16, 1895, and l-'rcderick Morton. 
who was born at ^\'arren. Warren County, 
Pa., March 22, 1898. 




ERMANN VON ZASTROW, presi- 
dent of the Pennsylvania Oil & Grease 
Works and proprietor of the Prog- 
ress Lubricating Oil Works, is a man whose 
natural ability and su])erior (|u;ililications ad- 
mirably lit him for the position which he 
holds. He is a chemist of considerable note, 
and has a wide range of ex])erience in refining 
])etroleum and its products. He is a true type 
of the German student, was born in Merlin. 
Germany, where his early life was spent, and 
where he had the advantages of excellent 
schools. He served sixteen years as an officer 
in the German army, leaving the service as a 
cai)tain. After this he entered the University 
of Berlin and t(jok a thorough course in chem- 
istry. He now felt that he was equipped for 
the battle of life, and in 1888 he left his native 
country and sailed for America, first locating 
in I'ufifalo, X^ew York, where he was assistant 
su])erintendent of a large oil works plant, 
u hich position he filled for three years. Leav- 
ing Buffalo, he next moved to Warren. Penn- 
svlvania. and became superintendent of the 
Corni)lanter Refining Company, in which ca- 
])acity he remained one year. He was sul)se- 
([uently superintendent of the Seneca Oil 
com])an_\- one )ear, and in 1893 he org.'uiized 
the concern known as the Pennsylvania ( )il iK: 
tjrease Works. They have a large and new 
refining plant at the northern line of the bor- 
ough, on the D., A. V. & P. Railroad. 

Mr. von Zastrow's excellent executive al)il- 
ity and good judgment had already attracted 
the attention of the company, and he was 
chosen president and given the general man- 
agement of the business connections of the 




ai.f..\am)i:k II. ,M(KKi,\i:v. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



firm, l)otli manufacturing and selling. The 
product of the company is high grade, filtered, 
cylinder and machinery oils, spindle, neutral 
and wool slocks, and high test illuminating 
oils; the specialties being hot and cold neck, 
cup, crankpin, wire ro[)c,and axle greases. The 
capacity of the works is 5,000 barrels of crude 
oil per month. Mr. von Zastrow deserves 
great credit for his able management, which 
has made this enterprise a successful and pay- 
ing investment for all concerned. Being act- 
ive, energetic and pushing, he is always on the 
alert for business, and does not believe in wait- 
ing for trade to come to him. Micawber wait- 
ed for "something to turn up," but Mr. von 
Zastrow goes after it with a force and energy 
that gets it. as is conclusively shown by the 
results of his business management of the con- 
cern of which he is president and general man- 
ager. 

♦-•-» 

LEXANDER H. McKELVEY, an oil 
producer and a citizen of prominence 
-in Warren Coinit\-, Pa., whose por- 
trait is presented on the opposite page, was 
i)orn in Greenville, Mercer County, Pa., No- 
vember 4, 1840, and is a son of George and 
Mary McKelvey. 

George McKelvey. father of our subject, 
was liorn in T803, in County Antrim. Ireland. 
The family is of Scotch-Irish descent. He 
spent his boyhood in the jilace of his nativity. 
and was educated in the "lx:>ys school" at Bel- 
fast, Ireland. He learned the trade of a 
weaver and followed that vocation in Ireland 
and Scotland until 1832, when he came to 




iXmerica. locating first at Haverstraw on the 
Hudson, where he remained a short time, then 
removed to Greenville, Mercer County, Pa., 
and a few jxars later located in Freehold. 
Warren County. He was a pioneer in the 
then wilderness, his nearest neighbors being 
a mile distant east and west. He built a log 
house, cleared his farm, and engaged in agri- 
cultural inn-suits until 1852, when he was in- 
duced by the gold fever to go to California, 
the "Eldorado" of the West. He was one 
of the first to go from this locality. His 
route was b\- way of Cape Horn, and the ves- 
sel was five months completing the voyage. 
The vessel touched at Rio Janeiro, South 
America, and many of the passengers caught 
the yellow fever, which was epidemic there at 
that time. Mr. McKelvey was among the un- 
fortunates, for he, too, was stricken with the 
disease, 1)ut careful nursing hy his friends won 
the battle against the attack of this yellow 
demon, and he was restored to his health and 
former activity. He returned to Warren 
County in 1855 after a very successful career 
as a miner. 

But the inipressix'e scenery of the mountain 
ranges, the charm of that delightful climate, 
and the seemingly limitless output of gold 
had so completely fascinated him that he no 
longer was content in his Pennsylvania home. 
He longed to again live and make his home 
in this new paradise, and accordingly, in 1865. 
he bade his friends and kinsmen in \\'arrcn 
County a final farewell, and after another ted- 
ious journey, entered the "Golden Gate" and 
passed into, what seemed to him to be the 
"Fairv Lantl." where his familv. with the e.x- 



118 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



ccption of his son, Alexander H., joined him. 
He located in Tulare County, California, 
w here he lived until the death summons came 
in 1878. He married Mary Keruochan, who 
died in California at tlie age of sixty-five. 
They reared a family of nine children, six sons 
and three daughters, the eldest being born in 
Ireland. 

Alexander II. McKehey, our subject, was 
l)rought to Warren County when quite young. 
I ic w.'is educated in the |)ul)lic schools of War- 
ren Connt\' and tlic days prior to his major- 
it}* were spent on his father's farm. In the 
fall of 1861 he enlisted in the Union Army, 
serving- in Co. K, 49th Reg., N.Y.Vol.Inf. His 
com])any, with the old Sixth Corps, formed 
a part of the famous Army of the Potomac 
and engaged in the conflicts incident to the 
campaign carried into Maryland, \'irginia. and 
Pennsylvania. He was wounded near Cnl]iep- 
per Court House in September, 1863, where 
he was taken prisoner 1)\- Confederate pickets 
and spent a short time in Libby Prison Hospi- 
tal, after which he was exchanged and taken 
to the Naval Academy Hospital at Annapolis, 
Md., from there to the Annapolis Junction 
Hosi)ital and later to Fort McIIcin-y, lialti- 
more, Md.; finally, in September, 1864. he 
was mustered out in New York City as a ser- 
geant after three full years of service. 

After returning from the war he spent a 
short time recuperating, then decided to sup- 
plement his early education with a business 
course at the Syracuse Business College; this 
he comi)leted in }H()(-> and located in Warren, 
where he was employed as clerk and book- 
keeper in a dry goods store until 1867. Later 



he was employed in the First National Bank 
as bookkeeper until January 14, 1870. when 
he took charge of the books of Brown, Struth- 
ers & Co. This business was founded in 
185 1 b)' W. F. Kingsbury as a foundry, and 
by him, with Henry W. Brown, a frame foun- 
dry and machine shop was built on the site 
of the present works, in 1855, in which was 
placed the first steam whistle that sunnnoned 
Warren working-men. In i8(')0 Mr. Kings- 
bury retired .'uid John ;ind Thomas Brown, 
l)rotliers of Henry, became interested with him 
in the business and it was then known as 
Brown Brothers. In 1868 Thomas Struthers 
acquired an interest in the firm, which as- 
sumed the name Brown, Struthers & Co., and 
in 1871 was changed to Brown & Struthers 
Iron W^orks, at which time Mr. McKehey be- 
came a stockholder and was chosen secretary 
and treasurer of the new corporation. In 
1875 the firm name became Struthers, \\'ells 
& Co., the partners being Thomas Struthers, 
James C. W^ells and A. H. Mclvelvey, and 
the shop name "Struthers Iron Works" was 
adopted, which has since become known wher- 
ever wells are drilled for the ]iroduction of 
oil, gas, salt or water. Both lirm name and 
shop name are .still retained, though none of 
the original parties remain. Mr. Struthers and 
Mr. Wells having died, and Mr. McKehey 
disposed of his interest in the firm and retired 
in August, 1895, having served as treasurer 
of the company for a period of twcntv-fi\'e 
\ears. 

Since 1895 ^Ir. McKehey has been inter- 
ested in the life insurance business, his field 
of operation being in the Thirty-seventh Judi- 



THIRTY-SE\ENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



119 



cial District of Pennsylvania. He has been 
interested in oil producing ever since the dis- 
covery of oil in this section. He has had large 

interests in various fields and still has a part- 
nership interest with the South Penn Oil 
Company, in oil production in Elk and For- 
est counties. He also has oil interests in War- 
ren Count}-. 

He was a mo\ing spirit in the organization 
of the \\'arren Homestead Loan & Trust 
Company, and has always heen a tlirector of 
the same. Politically he is a Republican, hut 
does not aspire to official honors; is a mem- 
ber of the Union Veteran Legion and has Ijeen 
colonel of the same. He liecame a member of 
the Presbyterian Church in 1868, since which 
time he has been an acti\e member, and has 
been ruling elder since 1872; for many years 
he has been clerk of the session and treasiu'er 
of the sessional fund: he served on the board 
of church trustees, and as a teacher in the 
Sunday School ever since his identificatinn 
witli the church. 

In 1871 our subject was married to M. 
Olive James, a native of Maine, and daughter 
of David M. and So])hr()nia James. The}' 
h;i\e t\\(i sons: Hugh K.. who is in the cni- 
[)1()}' t)f the \\ arren Kelining Companv, and 
Junius A. Kate \\'., a daughter, died in child- 
hood. 

Mrs. McKcKey is a public spirited woman 
and always interested in anything which seems 
ti) be for the good of the community. She 
l)elie\ed that it was the dut}- and pri\ilege of 
women to have a part in directing the educa- 
tion of the }oimg, and was largely instru- 
mental, in 1894. in securing the election of 



women, for the first time in the history of the 
town, to a place on the board of education. 
She has been for many }cars identified with 
the Cin-istian, charitable, and philanthropic 
work of the town, and, as i)resident of the La- 
dies' Auxiliary of the Y. M. C. A., assisted 
in raising a goodly sum of money with whicli 
to furnish that beautiful building. 

The itlea of the women of Warren celebrat- 
ing the One Hundredth Auhiversar}- of the 
town by publishing a "Woman's Centennial 
Paper," was original with her and the finan- 
cial success of the same was largely due to 
her efforts as general manager. 

This was the largest edition e\'er issued in 
Warren, both as to size and number, Ijeing a 
si.\teen page paper, with a circulation of 5,000 
copies. 




ASON SHELDON, a well-known 
manufacturer and business man of 
Kinzua township, ^^'arren Coun- 
ty, Pa., is a man of splendid qualities and ster- 
ling integrity, and has always been one of the 
most active workers in the town. He is great- 
ly respected by all, and has many warm friends 
in the county. He was born in Ellington. 
Chautauqua County, X. Y.. and is a son of 
Mason and Nancy (McCapes) Sheldon. 

Mr. Sheldon traces his genealogy through 
eight generations to William Sheldon, the 
father of John, who also had a son John. The 
latter had a son Lsaac, who married Susannah 
Potter, a daughter of Thomas and Su.sannah 
(Tripp) Potter, by whom he had the follow- 
ing offspring: Thomas, born in 1708: Roger, 



120 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



liorn in 1710; Elizabeth, born in 1713: Isaac, 
l)orn in 1715; Joim. l)orn in 1718; Susannali, 
born in 1720; Joseph, the great-grandfather 
of our subject; Pahner, "born in 1724, and 
Benjamin, wlio was 1)orn in 1727. Jolni Sliel- 
don, who was l)orn in 17 18. nuu'ricd I*".Hzabeth 
^\'el)b and they had; I'ahnor, l)()rn in 1745: 
Meliilaldc. Jjorn in 174(1; Jwhn. liorn in 1748: 
Isaac, l:)orn in 1750; Xalhan, 1)orn in 1752; 
Jonathan, born in 1755; George, born in 
1757; and Joanna, born in 1760. 

Joseph Sheldon, a son of Isaac and Susan- 
nah (Potter) Sheldon. li\cd in Stephentown. 
N. Y., and was the father of William, the 
grandfather of the subject of this sketch, who 
lived in Pine Gro\c, Pa. William Sheldon 
married Parthenia Sherman, and they reared 
the following children; Philena. who mar- 
ried Robert W'illiams; Kachael, the wife of 
Joel Roger Sherwood: Parthenia. the wife of 
James Bishop; William, who livetl at Grafton. 
Oliio; Phoebe, who married William Walk- 
ins; Betsey; Ruth, the wife of Joseph Marsh; 
and Mason, 

^lason Sheldon, the father of the subject of 
this per-sonal history, was born January 7. 
1804. and was a furniture manufacturer, in 
which Ijusiness he cuntinued until he was well 
advanced in years, when he purchased a farm 
and spent the remainder of liis days upon it. 
He died on May 9, 1869. He married Nancy 
McCapes, who was born in Genesee County. 
New "S'ork. They reared twelve children, as 
follows; Matilda I Briggs). born in i8jri; 
\\'illiam. born in 1828; Adeline ( lilanchard). 
born in 1830; Cyrus, born in 1832; Osna, born 
in 1834; Cordelia, born in 1836 (wife of Capt. 



Jones); Julia (Olmstead), born in 1840; Clark. 
bi)rn in 1842; James, born in 1844; Mason, 
born in 184^); Parthenia (Mount), born in 
1848: and Ida, tleceased, born in 1854. Our 
subject's father was a lve])ul)lican and served 
as justice of the peace for man_\- years. 

Mason Sheldon, the subject of this sketch, 
received his ])rimary education in Chautauciua 
Count}-. N. v., and learned the trade of wood- 
turning. I'or a period, when a young man, 
he worked at different places as a journeyman. 
He then started in business for himself at 
Ricexille, Pa., from which place he mo\ed to 
Cattaraugus. X. Y.. and manufactured han- 
dles. He then renuned to Great \'alley. 
X^. Y.. where he continued in business four 
years, when his factory w as destroyed by fire. 
His next location was at Ellicottville, N. Y., 
where he built a nice factory for the same line 
of liusiness, and remained there until 1882, 
when he located at Kinzua, Warren County, 
Pa., and in 1885 put in the planing-mill there. 
Mr. Mason's present mill has a capacity of 
400 handles per day. ami they make a spe- 
cialty of axe, pick, and sledge handles — doing 
a great deal of turning of various kinds. Pie 
also manufactures many log-hook handles. 
The planing-mill adjoining is a scene of great 
activity, and the goods are handled expedi- 
tiously, being taken right from the cars and 
put into the planer, and then taken from the 
planer and rejiacked in cars, thus virtually 
requiring but one operation. The plant now 
covers two and one-half acres, and Mr. Shel- 
don, who is a thorough workman, gives the 
practical part of the business his attention, as 
well as managing the financial part. The 




ALBERT D. WOOD. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



123 



building is of two stories, — the main, or 
lower, iloor being used for a i)laning-mill, 
turning-shop and tool-room, and containing 
special lathes for the turning of whippletrees 
and handles of \arious kinds. Upstairs is the 
store-room; a large quantity of wood is taken 
to this room and is planed and resawed into 
thin boards. In the adjoining building are 
the engine and boiler room and the sand 
and finishing room, containing another ma- 
chine of Mr. Sheldon's manufacture. The 
hard wood for handles comes from hills in an 
adjoining secticjn. He has his own fire-ex- 
tinguisher, a special water-tower 50 feet high, 
which furnishes the water; the buildings are 
also, piped with an automatic fire-extin- 
guisher. The handles which our subject 
manufactures are of a splendid make, and, 
being in great demand, conunand as high a 
]:)rice as any other handles in the market. The 
house and barns of Mr. Sheldon's land were 
built at the time the mills were erected. 

Mr. Sheldon married Olive Harkness, who 
was born in Springfield, Pa., and received her 
education in that place. Four children have 
resulted from this union, namely. Grace, 
Cora, Zello and Mason, Jr. Grace and Cora 
were both educated in the district schools and 
graduated from the Erie Business College, 
and Cora is now employed in the Ivinzua 
post-ofifice. Zello assists his father in the 
saw mill. Mr. Sheldon has been a success- 
ful man, and his success has been due 
to his own hard work. Although his rise 
has not been rapid, it has been sure, ami 
he is known as a steady and ujjright busi- 
ness man. He is a l\c])nblican, a school 



director, and is now serving as post-master, 
having been ajjpointed March 10, 1899. This 
appointment was a very complimentary one, 
as it came without Mr. Sheldon's solicitation. 
He is not a member of any church, but gives 
his support to all. 




LBERT D. WOOD, late of \V«rren, 
I^a., whose portrait the publishers of 
•this work present on the opposite 
page, was one of its best known and most re- 
spected citizens. He was born in Philadel- 
phia, Pa., November 18, 1839, and died at his 
home in Warren, December 24, 1895. 

Mr. Wood located in Warren in 1856, when 
sixteen years old, and was one of a corps of 
engineers engaged on the Erie & Sunbury 
Railroad — now the Philadelphia & Erie Rail- 
road. He was also a member of the corps of 
engineers that ran the line for the old Oil 
Creek Railroad, and one of the chief pro- 
moters of the Warren & Farnsworth Railroad, 
running from Clarendon to Cherry Grove, of 
which he was chief engineer and general man- 
ager. 

In 1890 our subject went into the oil busi- 
ness and was a member of the board of direct- 
ors of the United States Pipe Line Company, 
also a director of the Producers" & Refiners' 
Pipe Line Company, secretary and treasurer 
of the Producers' (_)il Companv, president of 
the Elk Oil Company, a trustee of the Pure 
Oil Company, and a leading spirit and factor 
in the entire indeiicndcnt movement. He was 
|ircsident of the Warren Librarv Association, 
in the welfare of which he was always greatly 



124 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



inlereslcd. He was clecled Inirgess of War- 
ren in l''cl)ruary, 1890, and served one term, 
uliieli was followed by a term as a memlier of 
the lK)ron_i;li eouneil: lie also served on the 
hoard of school directors. 

Our snhject lived a busy life, lie w;is 
never idle, never indolent, never stagnant, but 
always busy, and strictly abreast of the times. 
His dealings with his fellownien were hon- 
orable and always fully in accordance with the 
rules goxerning- legitimate transactions. 
There was no arrogance, boasting or self-con- 
ceit in his make-up. He was at all times dig- 
nified and self-possessed, slow to anger, and 
as quick to forgive an injury as he was to re- 
sent one. In social and literary circles Mr. 
W'ockI was a great favorite, and was alwavs 
looked upon as a leader. He was a writer of 
signal ability, either in depicting an occur- 
rence or incident, in ad\ancing an argument, 
attacking an adversary or defending a princi- 
jile. His diction was pleasing, his grammar 
faultless, his wit spontaneous, his satire swift 
and keen, and his ideas original. 

In domestic relatiDns he was a loving, in- 
dulgent and licloved husband and father. In 
a wider sense .\lbert D. Wood was a ])ublic 
l)enefactor. having in\ariablv taken a dcej) in- 
terest in all movements for the good of the 
]ieo]:)le. He was a man of clear judgment, and 
his advice was sought b\' many. In [lolitics, 
our subject was a Republican, and fearless in 
his independence. One great purpose which 
he constantly had in \-ie\v was the education 
of the ]ieople, and his ceaseless labor in be- 
half of the j)ublic library was in line with that 
idea. Another project which he greatly cher- 



ished was the establishing of a public hospital 
for Warren and \icinitv. 

.\ lawyer by jirofession, Mr. Wood never 
followed that avocation. He studied law in 
the office of Judges Johnson and l!rowii in 
Warren, and in the office of Judge ( ialbriiith 
in luMe, I'a., and was admitted to the bar in 
Warren, June i, iSfi_^. 

When the War of the Rebellion broke out 
Mr. Wood enlisted with Col. Roy Stone in 
the famous "Bucktail" regiment, and went to 
Harrisburg, but failed to pass the physical ex- 
aijiination. He then went out with Colonel 
Cross as commissary clerk. For se\en years 
he was in \Vashington, D. C. as an engros- 
sing clerk in the House of Representatives, 
acting during that period as correspondent for 
several of the leading newspapers throughout 
the country. In 1875 he was appointed pen- 
sion agent at Philadelphia, which position he 
held for a year and a half. 

On October 25, 1871, Mr. Wood was mar- 
ried at Elmira, N. Y., to Florence Stuart, 
daughter of the late Ryerson Hull Stuart. 
Their union was blessed by seven children, 
two of whom died in infancy. Those surviv- 
ing are Hilda, Ethel. Edna, Harold and Mil- 
dred, each bearing the mother's maiden name, 
Stuart, as a middle name. 

The death of Mr. Wood was a severe loss 
to the many industrial and social interests in 
which he was active. Eulogies were written 
and s])oken of him, and resolutions in memor- 
iani were adopted by .-dl nf tliein. In a ser- 
mon ])reached by the l\e\. Arthur R. Tav- 
lor. rector of the Fpisco])al Church at War- 
ren, that gentleman graphically reviewed the 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



125 



active and beneficial life of Mr. Wood, and 

paid a l;cauliful tribute lu liis ([iialitics and 
deeds. He declareil our sul)jcct not to have 
been one of tiiose wlio make notliin::;- out of 
business except money. l>ut one who coined it 
into character, lie thoiii^ht for t)tiiers. and 
spent himself for the Ijetterment and welfare 
of his brother-men. He was passionately de- 
voted to the cause of good citizenship. The 
great social questions of the time he studied, 
not as a dilettante. l)ut with a perception of 
what they meant in the evolution of a better 
humanit)-. The Social Science Club, of which 
he was the head, he looked upon in a large 
and deep way, not as an organization of men 
curious to know more of the day's tendencies, 
not as a group of persons fussing with enig- 
mas, or idly debating knotty subjects, but as a 
medium for inducing wider view-points, better 
knowledge, broader action, truer life. He ac- 
fjuired extensive and accurate knowledge. 
His familiarity with the whole range of Eng- 
lish literature was intimate and jirofound. 
He might worthily have filled the literature- 
jirofessorship in a university of the first rank. 
The public liljrary was another of his helpful- 
ness levers. He gave himself in its interest, 
not merely because he found in it congenial 
work. He saw below and behind the bi)oks 
the broader culture, tlie higher levels which 
the books might mean for the men and wom- 
en and children of \\'arren. He stood for 
an ideal larger and wider than the ideais of 
most of us. That ideal was a broader cul- 
ture, and better principle for the humam'ty 
of whicli he was a part. His was an earnest 
life that met the earnest (|uestions of h;ini;:n 



existence earnestly and helpfully, a life that 
looketl up and saw the vision, as it abode in 
the fields, watching over its flocks by night, a 
life which, as recalled by the preacher, seemed 
a strain of music. 

Part of the memorial adopted on the deat'a 
of Air. Wood by the Social Science Club was 
as follows: 

"Albert D. Wood will not be forgotten l)y 
this organization, which he practically fath- 
ered. The members of this club will hold 
him, though living elsewhere (surely with ail 
his old helpfulness and love of pure and true 
things), in affectionate remembrance. They 
are the more constrained through his taking- 
off, to make the Warren Social Science Club 
the worthy and serviceable thing he desired it 
to be; and they will ever preserve the memory 
of the broad-minded, tender-hearted, high- 
souled man who stood behind it at its begin- 
ning. 

"Arthur R. Taylor, 

"S. T. Xeill. 

"Charles Dinsmoor, 

"Committee." 
.\t a meeting of the W arren Shakespeare 
Club, held neeember _^i, 1895, several papers 
in memoriam of our subject were read by 
members, from one of which, read !)>• the late 
Judge C. II. Xo\es. the following extract is 
taken: 

"In everything he was always our leadei. 
In truth he has been a sort of king or ])rincc 
aniong us, nding by right divine, of ability 
and willing service, and he has loxed his king- 
dom well and laxished his wealth ujion it, 
])ouring oiU generously for oin- little cu])s a 



126 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



stream of learnin,^-, sparkling' with wit and 
sweet witli humor, fit to iiave refreshed tlie 
wliole Enghsh-reading world. " 

The high esteem in which Mr. Wood was 
held in business circles was admirably mani- 
fested in a memorial which was adojitcd by the 
members of the l'roduccrs"( )il (_'om|)any. Lt<l.. 
and which was signed by the oflicers: James 
W. Lee, chairman, William L. Curtis, secre- 
tary. R. J. Straight, treasurer, and Clarence 
Walker and William C. Kennedy, managers. 
The memorial is as follows: 

"Wondering how our loss, so great, can be 
for the best, yet believing that it is so, we 
1)Ow our heads and silently submit, asking only 
the ])ri\'ilcge of jtaying tliis simple tribute of 
resjject to tlie memor)- of him whose great 
lieart, strong, self-ljalanced i)rain, and perfect 
honesty of purpose, made him our fortress and 
our strength. 

"Though his jilace shall be ever unfilled, his 
absence ever felt by us, we lay our grief aside, 
and turn to those wliose loss is so far greater 
than our own. 

"We extend to them from whose circle has 
gone out the light of liusband and father, the 
solace and sympathy of our l)rotherhood, with 
whose cause they have been made one, both 
through his life and death.'" 

A massive and beautiful monument stands 
in ( )akland Cemetery, Warren, in honor of 
Mr. \\'ood. The familv name is inscribed 
upon its base, and upon its face in raised, pol- 
ished letters, is the following inscription: 

".Albert D. W^ood, 1839-1895. Erected as 
a tribute of affection liy his friends, w ho valued 
liis efforts in the cause of commercial free- 
dom." 



^tf^ OGER MOONEY. e.\-county com- 

I ^^ missioner and a retired farmer li\-ing 
V^^ in Warren. I'a.. is a nali\e of (i;d- 
way, Ireland, iiorn June 27, 1S41. and i.> a son 
of Hugh and M,-u-g;iret (McLaughlin) Moon- 
ex-. nati\-es of Ireland. 

llugh Mooney was 'oorn March 13, 1807. 
in Comity Roscommon, province of Con- 
naught, Ireland. I le was reared and educated 
to agricultural pursuits and followed this oc- 
cupation all his life. He came to .\merica in 
1870. six years after his son. Roger, arrived 
here, and settled in Mead township, Warren 
County, Pennsylvania, where he lived until 
his death, in March, 1894. He married Mar- 
garet McLaughlin, a native of his own pro- 
\ince. who died at the age of seventy-six. 
Their children were as follows: Thomas, who 
lives in Mead township; Roger, the subject of 
this biography; Michael, deceased; Hugh, 
deceased; and Mary (McKoen), deceased. 
The family were members of the ]\oman Cath- 
olic Church. 

Roger Mooney. the subject of this sketch, 
was educated in Ireland, and during his early 
life worked in a tannery. He came to Amer- 
ica in i8fi4. and after spending three years in 
Xew York State took a trip West. He worked 
in Cameron County. I'enn.^ylvnnia, a short 
time, and settled in Sheffield, Warren County. 
Pennsylvania, in 1868. .\fter working in a 
tannery for one year and a half he bought a 
farm i>f 100 acres in Mend township and car- 
ried (in farming until i8()4. when he mo\ed 
to Warren. The farm xvas sold in 1897. 

He was united in marriage December 19. 
i8C>5, to Julia Donehoe. daughter of Thomas 
Donehoe, a native of Ireland. I'our children 




JAHU HUNTER. 




LIVINGSTON Le(;RA\1) HUNTKR 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



131 



were born to them, namely: Margaret, Marv, 
Jnlia and Ilugli — the last now living- in West 
\'irginia. Mr. Mooney is a firm upholder of 
the Democratic party, and during his resi- 
dence in Mead township he served seven years 
as road commissioner. For several years he 
was also a member of the school board, and 
for eight years was tax collector. In 1890 he 
was elected county connnissioner, and in 1893 
was re-elected, the term expiring Januarv i, 
1897. In the spring of 1898 he was elected 
assessor for the Fourth ward in the borough. 
Mr. Mooney is a very active man in the bor- 
ough, and is always looking out for the inter- 
ests of his party. He is well known through- 
out the county. 




IMNGSTON LeGRAND HUNTER, 
president of the Tidioute Savings Bank 
'and one of the most prominent and 
successful business men of Warren County, 
although yet a young man, was born in Tidi- 
oute, January 10, 1861. He is a son of the 
late Jahu Hunter, a man whose death was a 
serious loss to the residents of \\'arren Coun- 
ty, as it deprived the county of an enterpris- 
ing citizen whose efforts had been largely di- 
rected toward advancing the interests of the 
county, and of one who was beloved as a citi- 
zen and as a loyal friend and a genial neigh- 
bor by all who knew him. Jahu Hunter was 
born on the east side of the .Vllegheny River 
about two miles below the mouth of Tidioute 
Creek. He was a son of Matthew and Sarah 
(Magill) Hunter and a grandson of Robert and 
Elizabeth (Park) Hunter. 



The ancestry of the family of the subject of 
this review is very interesting, and it demon- 
strates that he has inherited many of the high 
qualities which have marked his career and 
which have doubtless so greatly contributed 
to his success. The family has been one of 
sturdy, honest, mdustrious men and women, 
a family of which our subject well may be 
proud to be a member, one of the rare fami- 
lies whose histories are so intimately linked 
with the progress and the history of Warren 
County aud other parts of the Keystone State. 
Robert Hunter, the great-grandfather of our 
subject, was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, 
in 1758. He was of Scotch-Irish parentage, a 
combination giving the Scotch stability, 
shrewdness, mental vigor, jihysical energy and 
endurance, with the lightheartedness, the 
warm, sympathetic nature and the remarkable 
versatility and energy of the Irish; a combina- 
tion which has given to this, the Xew World, 
so many who have been the leaders and the 
most powerful promoters of progress and 
prosiierity in e\ery industry and every pro- 
fession, and which has so enriched our his- 
tory with a never-ending roll of distinguished 
men. Tradition hands down to the Hunter 
family the declaration that Robert Hunter and 
his good wife had three sons: .^amucl. who 
settled in the Isle <il Man; William, who re- 
mained in Ireland; and Jaueil. Robert Hunter, 
his son Jared. and three of his neighbors in 
County Tyrone, Gilson, Broadfoot and Hen- 
derson, with their families emigrated the lat- 
ter part of the eighteenth centurv, leaving Ire- 
land at the port of Londonderry, and sailing 
for the port of Philadelphia, this state, which 



132 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



tliey reached after a lont;-, wearisome voyage, 
which, however, did not dim llieir liope nor 
destroy their contideuce in the successes to 
he made in the new connlry. These families 
first settled in Western Pennsylvania, in what 
was tlien an nnhroken wilderness and is now 
included in Center County. The section had 
just begun to attract the attention of Scotch- 
Irish immigrants. These industrious men, 
accustomed to toil and to privations, were 
shrewd and full of pluck and energy. They 
groped their way into the wilds, as it were, 
and they saw the wealth on the mountain sides 
and the indications of the e\en \;istor wealth. 
hidden beneath the rugged breasts of the 
mountains. They accei)ted the gauntlet 
which Nature seemed to have thrown down 
and began the battle to wrest from Nature her 
treasures with the vim and the hopefulnes.^ 
which for generations h;is characterized thr- 
people of their race. Uobert and j.ared Hun- 
ter secured and located on loo acres of land, 
each, .about two miles from what is now En- 
terprise, Warren County, I'a. Their friends, 
the Gilsons, Broatlfoots, and Hendersons, lo- 
cated near what is now Titusville, I'a. All 
left their families behind until log houses had 
been built and the clearings made suitable for 
women and children. Jared remained on the 
original settlement until his death. In iSo8 
Robert Hunter solil his land ami bought a new 
f.arm on the east side of the Allegheny about 
two miles l>elow Tidioute Creek, which is now 
in the jiossession of the 1 lunter f.aniily. There 
he built a log house, having one of the large, 
cheery, comfort-giving lireplaces which are 
now known onlv in histor\-. He cleared the 



land and ])l;iced it under ])rofitab!e cultivation. 
He endured ])alieiuly the many hardshii)s of 
the stnriK' ])ioneer. and uncf)mplaininglv, hap- 
pily. ])ursned his labors, cutting down the for- 
est gi.ants and rafting them down the river. 
In those days the onl\' highway of the settlers, 
who were among the earliest in the region, 
was the Allegheny and their only means of 
conveyance was the canoe. The only existing 
trails led overland and up the mountains. 
Robert Hunter and his fellow settlers went to 
Pittsburg in canoes for those supplies which 
they could not raise on their farms. The 
nearest mill to them was at Brady's Bend. 
Robert and his wife reared nine children who 
grew to maturity and took up their share of 
the work upon the farm. The youngest of 
the nine was Matthew, the grandfather of our 
subject. Like his father, he was an intelligent 
and industrious man, and was beloved by all 
who knew him. He married Sarah Magill, 
daughter of Arthur Magill, Sr.. and settled 
on the homestead of his father in Limestone 
townshiji. Matthew Hunter was known for 
a radius of man\- miles from his home as a 
most kindly and genial man, a loyal friend and 
a good neighbor. He was modest in man- 
ner, loyal in e\ery duty and faithful e\en unto 
the slightest obligation, and, trained in the 
school of the pioneers, he was hardv, self-re- 
liant and industrious. So liberally and so cor- 
dialh' was hi^ hospitality exercised that his 
home was known in the Hunter families and 
to all the settlers in its vicinity as "The Hotel." 
Matthew Hunter reared a family of ten child- 
ren of whom j;dui Hunter, the father of our 
subiect, was the eldest son. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



133 



fahu Hunter was horn October 3, 1830. 
As lie grew u]) a large part of tlie work on tlie 
farm fell to liiin and he proved a great helper 
to liis father in the hitler's waning years. Flis 
father looked to him fmally to manage almost 
all the details and upon Jahu practically de- 
volved the care of the farm and the family 
until the other children grew to years of help- 
fulness and took up jiart of the laI)or. Jahu 
made the best of some instruction in a dis- 
trict school, hut the ad\antages were meagre 
and the education of comparatively little value. 
At the age of seventeen years he contented 
himself with overseeing the work on the farm 
and began cutting out and banking square 
timber. By (Hut of saving habits and shrewd 
and careful management he got together suffi- 
cient money and purchased a yoke of oxen. 
Possessing the oxen, Jahu felt warranted in 
entering into a contract of considerable size 
and importance, to skid logs. He got along 
very nicely until one of the oxen was killed — 
and Jahu lost about one-half of his fortune, for 
in those days a yoke of oxen was considered a 
moderate fortune. He had lost one-halt of 
the means of carrying out the contract he 
liad undertaken to perform and his disappoint- 
ment was great, in fact, it is related of him, 
he always mourned the loss of the ox and in 
his subsequently successful career would qui- 
etly dismiss losses amounting to thousands of 
dollars with the remark: "()h, that is noth- 
ing; it does not compare with the loss of my 
ox!" The loss of the ox, however, did not 
so seriously interfere with his contract, for he 
found means of ultimately performing it. He 
continued the work with iiis father's team and 



for ten years was engaged in rafting logs down 
the ri\er, returning home across country on 
foot and thus acipiiring a valuable knowledge 
of the timberland and other wonderful re- 
sources of a goodly part of this state, which 
he afterward used to advantage. He built 
w hat was known as the Hunter school house, 
also Iniilt a number of public roads, and inci- 
dentally served as constable and justice of the 
peace in his town. He worked with great 
energy, ])racticed strict economy, and finrdly 
accunuilated a small capital with which he 
entered ui)on a \-ery successful business career 
which he continued until his death. About 
1857 Mr. Hunter bought the store of J. H. 
Xeill in Tidioute, but as money was scarce 
and he was obliged to give credit e.xtensively, 
he closed the store and returned to lumbering 
and farming. He subsequently bought a tan- 
nery which he ran for some time, and also 
served as postmaster. He was elected one of 
the members of the first board of councilmen 
in Tidioute and was always active in his official 
duties, taking particular interest in pro\idiig 
adecjuate educational facilities, of which he 
had so greatly felt the need when young. He 
was one of the i)ioneers in oil prodr.cing, to 
which he ga\'e his labors and his ca])ital with 
\ai"ying success, and at his death he 'iwucd 
large interests in \arions oil fields. In [8(18 
the tirm of Mabie & Hunter was established, 
Air. Mabie being Mr. Hunter's brother-iri-law. 
and they did a very successful business as gen- 
eral merchants and dealers in lumber until 
1871. Then Mr. Hunter assisted in organis- 
ing the TidioiUe Savings Rank, of which his 
son, the subject ui our sketch, is now presi- 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



dent. He finally acquired nearly all the stock 
and at his deatii was practically the owner of 
the bank. In 1873 he formed a partnership 
with lion. II. 11. Cuniin^s in the oil busi- 
ness, in which they were very successful. I le 
also was at times largely interested in wheat 
lands in Xorth Dakota and was a member of 
the Missom-i Lumber «!<; .Mining Company. 
When the nil lield in the vicinity of Tidioute 
ga\e out, leaving the town stagnant and with- 
oiU energy. Mr. Hunter was instrumental in 
organizing the Tidioute Chair Manufacturing 
Company, of which he was ]iresident until h!s 
death. For fifteen years Mr. Hunter served 
as a school director and he gave liberall_\- of 
his wea'lth to promote the cause of education, 
being especially liberal in his support of the 
])ublic library. He also was a very liberal sup- 
])()rtcr of the churches. .\ very generous, 
kind-hearted man, Mr. Hunter did many good 
deeds about which he said nothing. It is 
known, h()\\e\er, that upon inan\' doorsteps 
were often found baskets filled with food and 
other necessaries of life, which were ])laced 
there through his instrumentality and his de- 
sire to relieve sutTering. His charitable im- 
])ulses led him to do many kindly acts, always 
in quiet, heli)ful ways, .ind disguising the hand 
of the gi\'er in the substanlialness and the 
timeliness (if the gift. .Mr. IliuUer was a tnan 
wliosf lifediistory may well st;md as ;i model 
for future generations. He was in ever\- es- 
sential a self-made man, of strong individuality 
and great brilliancy of i)ersonal intellect and 
capability. He thought .slowly, carefully and 
com])rehensively. He was simple in his tastes 
and un])reteiUious rmd nn.alTected in manner. 



Mr. Hunter died March 15, 1897, of apoplexy, 
and his sudden taking away caused great sor- 
row among his business and personal friends 

and neighbors in Tidioute. The local and the 
state papers were filled with praise of him as 
man and citizen and from every section came 
graceful, lo\-ing tribute to him as a prince of 
men. His funeral was conducted by his Ma- 
sonic brethren and the memorial address b\' 
\\ . R. Dawson e\er will live in the memory of 
those w ho heard his tribute to his dead brother 
in fraternity and in the great brotherhood of 
man. Mr. Hunter's wife survives him and re- 
sides in the handsome residence on Main 
street in TidioiUe which was his home. She 
was Margaret R. Magee, daughter of Alex- 
ander and Mary (Smith) Magee, who resided 
not far from the old Hunter homestead on the 
same side of the river. One of two children 
was left to brighten the days of the widow. 
Li\'ingston LeGrand, our subject. Leila Lil- 
lian died when twelve years of age. 

Li\ingston LeCrand Hunter, the subject of 
this review, was educated in the graded 
schools of Tidioute and at the Pennsylvania 
Military Academy which he left in his senior 
ye;ir; also at ( )bcrlin College at Oberlin, 
Ohio, where he took a course in connuercial 
training and from which he graduated in the 
class of iSS_'. Returning lo his home he en- 
tere<l the linn of Mabie & Hunter, engaged 
in the lumber business. Thev erectetl mills 
at Cobham and were large manufacturers of 
lumber. In 1885 our subject engaged in the 
lumber business on his own account. He 
bought the \'enus. .Andrews & Paden mills 
and h;is since oper.'ited them. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



135 



The Tidioute Savings Bank was organized 
by capitalists of Tidioute and began business 
October 25. 1871. Its first officers were: 
Presidents, Henry Fislier; M. P. Getchell; 
Jahu Hunter, who ser\ed as president until 
his death; and L. L. Hunter, our subject, who 
succeeded his father and now holds the office; 
Hon. H. H. Cumings, who since its organiza- 
tion has been vice-president; A. W. Couse, 
who has been cashier since the bank started. 
W. J. Elder is assistant cashier. In 1876 the 
present fine banking building was erected. 
It is of brick, two stories high and is fitted 
with a niannnoth Herring safe witli Vale time- 
lock and with every modern inipro\ement 
known to the banking business. 

In addition to his other interests our sub- 
ject is a member of the ^Missouri Lumber & 
Mining Company, which does a very large 
business and gives employment to hundreds 
of men in Grandin, Carter County, Mo. 

On January 6, 1887. Mr. Hunter was united 
in marriage with Lillian Acomb, daughter of 
Dr. James L. Acomb of Tidioute. He and his 
estimable wife reside in a ver\- handsome resi- 
dence which was built l)y his father and pre- 
sented to the happy couple as a wedding gift. 
They have three children: James Livingston, 
how. in 1890; Leila May, born in 1893; and 
Dorothy, born in 1896. 

Mr. Hunter has served as councilman and 
burgess and in all his public service has been 
a faitliful represcntati\e of the people and of 
the principles held by his father, which are 
also embodied in himself. 

In connection with the foregoing life his- 
tory we take pleasure in announcing that por- 



traits of Jahu and Livingston LeGrand Hmi- 
ter a))pear on preceding pages. 



/©J^oRGh: WASHINGTON CAMP- 
\J5| IH^LL. Warren County has long oc- 
cupied a prominent position in com- 
parison with the other counties of Pennsyl- 
\-ania in resi>ect to her lumbering interests. It 
is an industr_\- which gi\es employment to 
many hundreds of men, and has contributed 
largely to the wealth of the county. We here 
wish to give mention to the largest saw mill 
operator in the county — the gentleman whose 
name appears at the head of these lines — 
whose establishments are located at Dew 
Droi), Kinzua township, where he owns some 
six thousand acres, inchu'ing the [ilot on 
which the \ illage is located. 

Ml. Campbell was born in Kinzua town- 
ship, Warren County, Pa., August 3, 1831, 
and is a son of John and Sarah (Reese) Camp- 
bell. His grandfather was Samuel Campbell, 
who was born in the north of Ireland, but was 
a descendant of a proud old Scotch family, the 
Campbell clan, one of the most ancient of the 
families of Scotland. He was a young man 
when he came to America in companv with 
an uncle, and settled in Pennsylvania. He 
was married in Lycoming County, Pa., and 
then took up the occupation of a farmer. One 
of his sons, an uncle of our sul>iect. was a fifer 
in the Revolutionary War. entering the army 
at the age of thirteen years, and serving seven 
years. 

John Campbell, the father of our subject. 



136 



BOOK OK BIOGRAPHIES 



was born in Lycoming County, Pa., and was 

one of tlie \ery first wliitc settlers to make 
their iionie in \\';irrcn County, i^'oini^' to that 
section on liorseliack. i ie first nuned to War- 
ren, and then to Kinziia townshi]), wliere lie 
took 11]) hnnljeriuL'; and farniint;': he i)in"eliased 
an iiUeresl in a saw mill and mannl;ictured 
rough timber, which was shipped to Pittsburg 
and other southern ]Dorts via the Allegheny 
and ( )hio ri\ers. lie was joined in wedlock 
with Sarah Reese, w ho was born and educated 
in Lycoming County, and their union was 
blessed by the birth of tweKx children. 

Mr. (i. W. Cam])l)ell was educated in the 
district schools, unt] his un])retentious career 
in business began in assisting his father, which 
be continued imtil he reached the age of twen- 
ty-one years. Xone at that time would lia\e 
predicted that this young man, without means 
and with but a limited intellectual training, 
woidd rise to the ])osition of ])roiuinence be 
now occupies. Xone realized that, beyond the 
honest f;ice of this iiardy fanuer lad was an 
indomitable will and a tireless energy, possess- 
ing which, he could not but rise. He was in- 
dustrious and had ;i true business instinct, 
which icndered seeiuiugl_\- insuriuountable ob- 
stacles on]\ teiup(.)rary barriers, and to-day we 
lind biiu one of the luost ]M"osperous citizens 
of that district. L'])on reaching his majority. 
in partnership with his brotlier, he operated 
his father's mill ])roperty. and conducted the 
business for two \ears, \vlien be obtained an 
interest in another saw mill. 1 le soon Ixntght 
out bis associate in business, and conducted 
the enterprise alone, clearing up a valuable 
tract of five li'"!id'-"d acres. He then ditl job- 



bing for the firm of Mead & Eddy of Warren, 

;ifter which he r;in on the ri\er for six x'cars in 
the \\'etniore interests. liy honest and hard 
w ork he had iieen enabled to accumulate some 
thousands of dollars, but at this time one of 
the unforttinate incidents of bis career oc- 
curred, lie ojierated in oil. but fortune 
frowned upon him and be became deeply in- 
\()lved in money matters. He then went to 
work by the day, "realizing" — to use his own 
words — "that 1 could never get out of debt 
that way, I made another attempt in the lum- 
ber business." He built a saw mill, in iS8o. at 
Ludlow, AIcKeaii Countv, and in four years, 
having used uii all the timber ax'ailable. ho 
built another mill at Swamp Lodge. In tlie 
meantime his Ludkjw mill was burned to the 
ground, and he sustained anotlier serious loss. 
However, he was determined to succeed, and 
operated the mill at Swamp Lodge; it was a 
circular mill and had a capacity of turning out 
45,000 feet per day. After using u]) the tim- 
ber there he removed his family to Kane, and 
established a factory at Mount Jewett. where 
he manufactured lumber. In compaii}' with 
others, he bought out the clothes-pin factory' 
of P. C. West, of Kane, Pa., having, with bi- 
sons, a short time previously, bought Mr. 
West's saw mill and railroad at .\ortli Kane. 

A little later he organized, and was elected 
president of, the Kane Flint Bottle and Glass 
Works, which is still in existence. He was 
;ilso the organizer and president of the I'^irst 
National liank of Kane, an oflice which he 
has since held. In iHyC) he again moved to the 
place of his birth, Kinzua township, the scene 
of his early business struggles, and there en- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



137 



tered upon the most stupendous undertaking 
of ills career. He took liis sons, Eddie and 
John, into tlie business as partners in purchas- 
ing the West property, and they have since 
been associated with him. Sjiace will not per- 
mit us to gi\e a detailed description of their 
extensive estal)lishment at Dew Drop, but we 
will mention some of its prominent features. 

They jiossess a tract of rj.ooo acres of land, 
and upon arrixing at the station one is at cince 
impressed with the great magnitude of the 
works, and the unique appearance of the town 
with its high sidewalks, electric lights, and 
coz)--!ooking houses, ^'ou are at once in- 
formed that the property of the town is owned 
by the company, of which our subject is the 
head and leading spirit. Vou see the elevated 
and surface railroads with their ])eculiarly con- 
structed locomotives for climbing elevations, 
handsome offices, and a store wdiere the em- 
ployes can obtain the necessaries of life at a 
reasonal)le price. Upon turning a corner vou 
have a full view of the mill, and the noise aris- 
ing from the fast-running machinery, and the 
speed and facility with which material is 
handled by its almost human movement, is 
\'ery confusing. The machines arc all auto- 
luatic and handle an incredible amount of ma- 
terial in a very short time, .\bout ten miles 
from the mill, in the forest, a large numl)er of 
men are employed — some felling timber, oth- 
ers stripping bark, and still others building 
and repairing the railroad. It refpn'res very 
powerful locomotixes to work on these roads, 
as the grade is extremely steep, and in one 
])lace a switch-back a mile long is necessary. 
They use what is known as a triple-geared en- 



gine, built especially for mountain climbing. 
L^])on being brought to the mills, the logs are 
all dumped into a ])ond ca])able of holding 
half a million feet of lunilicr: in this pond 
oi)erates the machine known as the jog-jacker, 
which clutches the log ;ind carries it up 
to the main room of the mill, automatically 
depositing it on the carrier of the band-saw. 
It is then made into boards of necessary thick- 
ness, the good stock being carried by live 
rollers to the edging machine, and the waste 
being thrown on the opposite side, where rol- 
lers carry it to the battery of saws, and it is 
sawed into kindling wood. After the good 
boards have passed through the edging ma- 
chine other rollers carry them to the planer, 
and then the finished boards are carried in the 
same way to the cars. The_\' are then taken to 
the elewated road to be stacked in [)iles and 
dried ready for shipment. It is worthy of note 
that the waste material is handled as intelli- 
gently as the finished product, all being car- 
ried away mechanically; the sawdust is de- 
posited right in the boiler-room and is self- 
feeding, not requiring the attention of a fire- 
man. On the main floor is a tool-room, where 
the saws are repaired and sharpened b\' auto- 
matic machinery. Below are three boilers, 
and the engine-room is fitted with an engine 
of 225-horse power. A special engine fur- 
nishes power for the electric-light plant, an- 
other for the machinery in the machine-shop, 
another for the shingle mill, adjoining the 
saw mill, with a capacity of 55,000 shingles 
per day. Still another engine pumps several 
oil wells on the property. 

Mr. Campbell was married to Mary Nutt, 



138 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



by whom he had six children: John and Ed- 
die, wlio arc in I)iisincss with their father: 
James, Genri;c \\'., Clara and Ann. llis first 
Avifc died and he formed a second nnion with 
Alice Newell and has since made his home at 
Kane, havin_si^ hnt recently jjurchascd a resi- 
dence there. His youn_t;cst son, George W., 
enlisted in Comjiany 1, i6th Reg., Pa. Vol. 
Inf., and participated in the Porto Rico cam- 
])aign of the Spanish-American W'ar. 



§01].\ Ill'.Xm' GR.VY, a well known 
and po|)nlar lujtel kee])er and wholesa'e 
wine merchant, is one of the most en- 
terprising and successfnl hnsiness men of War- 
ren, Pa. lie is a son of Jacol) and Esther 
(Moffatt) Gra}', and was born in Sinclairville, 
N. Y., on No\-eml)er 28, 1845. 

The father of onr subject, Jacob Gray, was 
born in Batavia, Genesee County, N. Y., Eeb- 
ruary 2, 1814. He served an apprenticeship 
and learned the trade of a shoemaker, which 
he followed for se\'eral years. He remoxxd to 
Jamestown, X. ^'.. where he was engaged in 
the hotel business for a few years; next he con- 
ducted a hotel in Ripley, N. Y., remaining 
there but a short time. He then remox'ed to 
Sinclair\ille, X. \'., where he also managed a 
hotel for several years. Subsequently Mr. 
Gray removed to Warren, Pa., and opened a 
shoe store which he successfully carried on 
for a considerable ])eriod. He served as con- 
stable for several )ears. From Warren Mr. 
Gray removed to Glade Run, where he opened 
the Glade Run Hotel, which he conducted for 



a year. He returned at the end of that time 
lo Warren, where he took charge of the Lud- 
low House, continuing there about five years. 
.Mr. Gray then took the Russell House, which 
he conducted about one year. Subsequently 
he was proprietor of a hotel at Antwerp, Pa., 
of the Tanner Ibnise in Warren, and the 
Wade House in Voungs\'ille, Pa. At \'oungs- 
\ille he built a hantlsonie residence, .\fter 
operating the Wade House for tw o }ears, Mr, 
Gray returned to Warren. He resided with 
his daughter, IVTrs. G. W. Kinnear, until his 
death on August 26, 1885, Jacob Gray was 
united in marriage on November 2, 1842, to 
Esther Moffatt, daughter of James Mofifatt of 
Whitehaven, Cumberland County England. 
She was born September 14, 1818, and died 
at Youngsville, Pa., October 25, 1879. Their 
children were as follows: Esther T., born 
.\pril 21 1844: and Joim Henry, the subject 
of this biographical sketch. In politics Jacob 
Gray was a Democrat. Religiously he w-as a 
Methodist. 

His son. John H. Gray, was something over 
a year old when the father first removed to 
Warren. He attended the connnon sciiools 
until he was scveiUccn years old. He then 
learned the shoemaker's trade, worked at it for 
a while with his father, and linally, in 187^1, 
opened a shoe store which he conducted for 
some time. He then went to Youngsxille and 
assisted his father in the hotel business for 
about two years. Later he went to Slieftield, 
Pa., where he conducted the Lee House, and 
soon after retmaied to \\'arren and combined 
hotel keeping with the wholesale wine busi- 
ness. Mr. Grav has been uiiusuallv success- 




\V. 1). HINCKLEV. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



fill, and is looked upon as one of Warren's 
foremost business men. Politically he is a 
Democrat. 

Esther T. Gray, sister of John llcnr_\-, is the 
wife of G. W. Kinncar of Warren, to whom 
she was united December i8, 1866. Their 
children are as follows: Harry, born Septem- 
l)er 2, 1867, who married lunnia Shaner of 
Kane, McKean County, Pa., on December 
27, 1893; Glenni P., born November 21. 1870; 
Nellie Gray, born September 29, 1878, and 
Guy, born March 9, 1882. 




D. HINCKIJ'.V, senior member of 
the law firm of Hinckley & Rice, is 
one of the leading lawyers of War- 
ren County, Pa., and a descendant of one of 
the earliest settlers of Massachusetts. Thom- 
as Hinckle}' came from Tlinckley, luigland, 
and liecame one of the first settlers in New 
England and prominent in the history of the 
Plymouth colony. Solomon Hinckley, the 
paternal grandfather, lived in Chautauciua 
County, N. Y., and there reared his family. 

George D. Hinckley, father of W. D., was 
born in Fredonia, N. Y.. and received his edu- 
cation in that place. His lousiness during his 
acti\e career was that of a seed-grower. He 
ow ncd and operated seed farms near Fredonia, 
w liicli were started years before by the Risleys, 
for the importation and distribution of differ- 
ent kinds of seeds. Mr. Hinckley was always 
one of the most prominent and substantial 
business men in the county, and was one of 
the prime mo\ers in organizing the Grange, 



holding the office of master, for the first two 
terms, of the New York state organization. 
He was a Republican, and always took an ac- 
ti\e interest in the jjolitics of his town, filling 
several offices. 

W. D. Hinckley, the subject of this sketch, 
received his early education in the schools of 
Fredonia. and the Fredonia Academy, and 
then took a course at the University of ^lichi- 
gan, from which he was graduated with the 
class of 1878, receiving the degree of Ph. B. 
He then began the study of law with Nelson 
B. Smiley, of Bradford. Pa., and was admitted 
to the Warren County Bar in 1882. After 
locating in Warren he became co-partner in 
the firm of \\'etmore, Noyes & Hinckley. Af- 
ter the retirement of Judge Wetmore. the firm 
was known as Noyes & Hinckley, the part- 
nership existing until 1890, when Mr. Noyes 
was elected president judge. William E. Rice 
then became associated with I\lr. Hinckley, 
forming the firm of Hinckley & Rice, which 
has continued since that time. 

Mr. Hinckley is an unswerving Republican, 
and has served in diiTerent local offices; at 
present he is a member of the school board, 
and a member of the building connnittee in 
charge of the construction of the new high 
school building. He is a member of the \\'ar- 
ren Count}' Bar Association, and for a num- 
ber of years has been a member of the board 
of control of the Warren Public Library, and 
a trustee of the Struthers' Library Building. 
Mr. Hinckley is an active worker in the 
Shakespeare Club of Warren, and other local 
societies. His jiortrait accompanies this 
sketch of his life. 



142 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 




ATHANIEL S. FALCONER, a high- 

1\- rcsiicctcd and esteemed eitizcn of 
-\\ aiTfii. Warren Cdnnlx', I'a.. has, 
with ihe exception of a few years' contracting 
and bnilding, jjractieally sjjenl liis wliole life 
in the ser\ice of the L'nited States (iovern- 
nieiU; first, as a soldier in the War of the Re- 
hellion, and later in the civil service. More 
than thirty-l'iNe years have elapsed since he 
Inst entered the mail service, and this continu- 
ance for so many years is a greater acknowl- 
edgment than words can express of his pro- 
ficiency. iKjnesty, and ahility in performing 
his varied duties. IMr. I'alconer was horn at 
Sugar Grove. Warren County, Pa.. .\]Mil i8. 
1840; he is a son of Robert J. Falconer, and 
grandson of Robert Falconer, Sr., both of 
whose life-re\iews appear in the ensuing his- 
tory. 

Robert Falconer. Sr., was born at I'itchash, 
parish of Invcraven, Scotland, December 22, 
1780, and comes of an honored and ancient 
family. Two bnnhers came to America aI)out 
i~7.=i. located in Xew York, and engaged in 
mercantile pursuits. Robert followed them 
after he had graduated at the Aberdeen Uni- 
versity in 1800. For several years he was en- 
gaged in the purchase and sale of cotton in 
New York, and Charleston. S. C. He sent 
large invoices of cotton to Liverpool. Glas- 
gow, and other places in England and Scot- 
land. In 1 8 10 a l)rother in Scotland desired 
to join him in the ]nn'ch;ise of lands, with 
the intention of making a Scotch settlement 
in America, for which the brother at home 
was to select an extra class of imigrants. 

Li accordance with this arrangement. Mr. 



Falconer. in 1817, visited Chautau(|ua 
County, X ^'., and Warren and l'",rie counties, 
I'a., making his home with Dr. llazeltine. of 
Jamestown, N. ^'., .and remaining se\er;il 
months. Dmang this time he tra\ersed the 
forests and carefully insi)ccted the comitry. 
He made long trips into the wilderness, al- 
ways on foot, being frequently absent a week 
at a time and having for liis companions on 
these excursions his compass, Jacob-staff, and 
a heavy hatchet. His favorite resort was 
along the Stillwater and Brokenstraw creeks 
be\ond Sugar Grove. That section was then 
an almost unbroken wilderness, and he passed 
tin-ough it in almost every possible direction, 
running lines and asceitaining the area of cer- 
tain tracts. He was an excellent surveyor, and 
many of our early roads were surveyed by 
him. Formerly it used to be said "that a 
thousand trees bore the blaze of Falconer's 
hatchet." Finally Mr. Falconer selected lands 
near Sugar Grove, Pa., for his future abode, 
and returned to New York in the winter of 
1818 to prepare for his new home. 

His first wife, Eliza I<llliott, having died, he 
brought to the Western wilds two sons, Rob- 
ert and Patrick, and settled at Sugar Grove in 
1819. Robert Falconer was at that lime con- 
sidered the wealthiest man in tliis section of 
the country. He loaned considerable money, 
and was distinguished for his pulilic spirit and 
untiring zeal in the promotion of every enter- 
prise calculated to advance tlie interests of this 
comitry. He soon became fnllv identified 
with the land of his adojUion, anil was accus- 
tomed to say "that he came to this country 
not only to escape the dying feudalism of old 



THIRTY-SE\ENTH JUIMCIAL DISTRICT 



143 



Scotland, but to enjoy tliose three great and 
glorious gifts to man. the free, the good, and 
the beautiful." 

He was active in bringing many settlers 
from his native land, who were employed in 
laying out roads and in the general improve- 
ment of the country. About 1823 he mar- 
ried his second wife, l-'liza ^liller, by whom he 
had one son, William T. Not far from this 
time he was joined by a nephew named Pat- 
rick, a son of his brother Patrick, who lived in 
Scotland. The nephew assisted his uncle in 
surveying, and later on went into business for 
himself in the woolen manufacturing industry, 
and also cultivated a farm in Warren County. 
He also' did a considerable business in the 
lumber trade, and was actively engaged in 
these pursuits up to the time of his death, 
which took place in 1872. The ground on 
which now stands the North Warren Asylum 
was at one time owned by him, and was a part 
of his farm. 

In 1828 Robert Falconer formed a business 
coimection with Archibald Tanner, a promi- 
nent business man of \\'arren, which lasted for 
fi\e years. In 1829 he removed to Warren, 
wlicre, as before, he bought and sold land, laid 
out roads, and in many ways added to the 
material development of the town. With 
Archibald Tanner and a few other kindred 
spirits he was the organizer of the first circu- 
lating library in \\'arren. Earl_\' in the "thir- 
ties" he became interested in the Lumber- 
man's I'ank of Warren, of which he was the 
first presiilent. The bank was wrecked by 
those who were supposed to be its friends and 
supporters. Mr. Falconer, in attempts to save 



it, lost largely in wealth, and his health w-as 

seriously impaired. After his many useless ef- 
forts to retrieve the losses of the bank, a large 
portion of his wealth gone, broken in spirits 
and health., he returned to Sugar Grove in 
1840, where he died October 20, 1852. It was 
said of him that he would long be remembered 
for the good he had planned and accomplished 
for his adopted country, and for his great 
kindness of heart, shown especially in assist- 
ing young men to start in business. 

Robert J. Falconer, son of Robert Fal- 
coner, was born at Brooklyn, N. Y., August 
18, 1809, and received his early education at 
Erie, Pa., and thereafter at Buffalo, X. Y. 
On leaving school he came to \\'arren and 
went into the mercantile business with Tanner 
& Watson for a short time. He left this line 
of trade, and on the i8th of April, 1836, mar- 
ried Mary Sill, daughter of Nathaniel Sill of 
Warren, Pa., and settled down to farming 
near Sugar Grove village. Pa., where he died 
February 10, 1876. His family were: Kezia 
Elliott; Nathaniel S., our subject; Robert El- 
liott; and Mary Elliott. In 1850 he was 
elected an elder in the Presbyterian church at 
Sugar Grove, of which he was a member, and 
held that ofifice up to the time of his death. In 
his political convictious he was a Republican, 
and had explicit confidence in the party. 

Nathaniel S. Falconer received his first 
scholastic training in the district schools of 
Warren County, Pa., in the vicinity of Sugar 
Grove. He came to Warren when about fif- 
teen years old, and attended the Warren 
Union School, where he finished his educa- 
tion. Leaxing this institution of learning at 
the age of twenty-one, he immediately en- 



144 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIKS 



listed in the Union Army (1861). in company 
II. Tenth Regiment. Pennsylvania Reserve 
C"orps, and remained in the service nntil 1863. 
He was in the division connnanded hy (ieneral 
McCiellan, and look part in the conflict at 
\\'hite Oak Swamp, in whicli engagement he 
was wounded. I lis discliarge followed in 
1863. 

Shortly after he enlisted, and on the organi- 
zation of the regiment. June _'i. 1861. haxing 
been duly sworn in hy ( icn. W. T. Sherman, 
he was ap]iointcd (|uartcrmaster sergeant. 
W hen he was wounded, which was about a 
year previous to his discharge, he was taken 
to the Ciovernment hos])ital at R.'dtimore, 
Md.. and during the \ear he was in the hos- 
pital he had charge of the hospital records. 
L'pon his discharge therefrom he came to 
Warren. Pa., and entered the railway mail 
service of the L'nited States, in October, 1863. 
serving two years. At the end of this time he 
resigned and went into business for himself as 
a builder, in which line he continued until 
1^/2. (living uj) that business, he was re- 
appointed to the mail service, which position 
he continues to hold, having become a veteran 
in the service of "Uncle Sam." 

He was married in Warren. Pa., on the 27th 
of July, 1864. having chosen for his life com- 
panion Elizabeth A. demons, a daughter of 
Thomas Clemons of Warren. They have a 
family of two sons — Robert Qemons. born 
March 21, 1874, and Donald Patton. born 
November 7. 1883. Mr. and Mrs. Falc(Mier 
are attendants of the First Presbyterian 
Church, of which the family are all members. 
Sociallv Mr. Falconer is a member of Fben X. 



Ford Post No. 336, G. A. R. In his political 
affiliations he is on the Republican side, as the 
principles of that party are quite in accord- 
ance with his \iews. 

Roliert Clemons Falconer, eldest son of Na- 
thaniel S.. received the rudiments of his edu- 
cation in the ])rimary schools of his nati\e 
borough. \\'arren. and later went to the high 
school for one year, thereafter iiroceeding to 
Madison, Wisconsin, where he entered the 
Uni\ersity, taking the ci\il engineering 
course, from which he was graduated in 1895. 

Being determined to make a record for 
himself, he started out to find a field of labor, 
not even stopping to take part in the com- 
mencement exercises. He went to New York 
and w as successful in getting a situation in the 
ofiice of Purely & Henderson, consulting engi- 
neers, to whom he was recommended by one 
of the professors of the University. Here he 
displayed his ability in a very notable manner, 
and was intrusted with some of the most im- 
jjortant work in the plans for the erection of 
the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, of thaf city. He 
remained with this firm two years." during 
which time his work and his record stood the 
closest scrutin>'. bringing credit to himself and 
pleasure to his employers. From New York 
he went to Johnstown. Pa., and occupied for 
one year a responsible position with the Cam- 
bria Iron Company. In 1899 he accepted a 
position with the Pennsyhania R. R. Co., 
west of Pittsburg. 

Donald Patton Falconer, youngest son of 
our subject, is taking his early instruction at 
the public .schools in Warren, and laying the 
foundation' for an academic education. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



14: 



Mr. Falconer's wife's fatlier, 'riiniiias dem- 
ons, was a noted man in Warren. He was 
horn in Franklin. \'cnan.!;-<) County. Pa., in 
August, 1802. When a boy lie removed to 
Meadvilk, and from there came to Warren, in 
1829. No man in the county was much bet- 
ter known among the early settlers, or more 
generally respected. In earl\- times he ]iul)- 
lished the Democratic paper there, and more 
recently he was interested in the Ledger. He 
was alwa}s an active partisan in politics, and 
was for a long time connected with public af- 
fairs in the county, having been elected 
county treasurer once (in 1839") and protho- 
notary twice (between 1849 and 1855). be- 
sides serving as assistant or deputy to others 
for many years. Everybody knew him as a 
good-hearted, faithful citizen, a kind neigh- 
bor, a fond and indulgent husband and father, 
and a devoted friend, liaving no enemies. He 
died !\Iarch 16, 1872. 




R. RICHARD B. STEWART. Jr.. 
^ ■ stands far up in the ranks of the lead- 
ing physicians of W arren. He was 
born in Richmond County, \'irginia, in 1861, 
when the dark cloud of war cast its shadow 
over our country and threateneil its destruc- 
tion. The Doctor is proud of the history of 
\'irginia. proud of her earl\- acliievements. 
proud to claim as liis place of nativity that 
state where li\ed John Smith and PocahoiUas. 
as also lived in later years the Washingtons 
and Randolphs, and the I-ees, and last but 
not least, is proud of the Southern blood that 
courses in his own veins. 



Dr. Stewart is a son of Richard B., Sr., and 
Anne (Smith) Stewart, and grandson of 
'i'honias .Stewart. He received his early edu- 
cation in the schools of his native place, and 
later on was sent to .\berdeen Academy. After 
having com|)leted his studies at this institution 
and graduated therefrom he entered the Col- 
lege of Physicians and Surgeons in Baltimore 
with the class of 1881. He then took a course 
in the hospital of that institution, and in 1882 
iiegan to practice in Warren. Pennsylvani;i, 
where he has remained and established him- 
self in a constant, thrifty, growing practice. 
He is a general jiractitioner of the old school, 
and has thoroughly demonstrated himself to 
be a proficient student of his profession. 

Richard B. Stewart. Sr,, father of our sub- 
ject, is a natixe of Marylantl. where he was 
reared, educated and spent his early manhood. 
After marriage, believing Virginia afforded 
better opportunities for an ambitious young, 
man than were ]iresented in Maryland, he 
moved to Richmond County. \'irginia. where 
lie secured a plantation. There he lived and 
cultivated his land until a few years ago, when 
he returned to his native state, and now lives 
in the city of Ijaltimore. He was united in 
marriage witli .\nne Smith, who was a faithful 
and loving comjjanion. but they had journeyed 
only a short distance beyond the meridian of 
life when she was called from her earthly 
abode, liaving readied her forty-eighth year. 
They reared three sons and two daughters. 

Dr. Stewart was married in 1883. the lady 
who promised to accompany him on life's 
journey and share with him its vicissitudes and 
trials being Miss Jessie Dunham, daughter of 



146 



B(X)K OF BlOGRArillES 



M. B. Dunham of Warren, Pa. The Doctor 

and his estimable wife are the parents of two 
cliil(h-cn. wlinm the\' liavc named Minor B. 
and I'aul !'>. Sucially the Doetor is a nienil)er 
of the North Star Lodge, No. J41, l*". & .\. 
M.; K. of r.; and Warren County Mechcal 
.Association. 




^. 



R. CL.WTON C. h'LATT is a suc- 
cessful ])ractiti()ner of C'orydon, Pa., 
where he has l)een located since 1892. 
.\t that time he purchased his present resi- 
dence, which he has since remodeled, adding 
to it con\enient waitiuij-rooms, offices, etc. 
lie is considered one of the ablest physicians 
in tiie county; his practice covers a large ter- 
ritory anil embraces the best class of patrons. 
Dr. I'latt was born in Corydon, Pa., in 1864, 
is a son of ^Morrison and Josephine (Forbes) 
Flatt, and grandson of Amos and Nancy Mor- 
rison Flatt. 

Dr. I'datt reccixed his ])rimary education in 
the district schools and then entered Battle 
Creek College, in Michigan, as a student. 
F.'iter he entered the University of Michigan 
and began the preliminarv work of his profes- 
sion. .After finishing the i^rejiaratory course 
he entered that celebr.ated institulion, tlie 
Westei'u PennsyKania Meilicil College, from 
which he gr;iduated in 1891. He then took a 
l)ost-graduate course in the New "S'ork hospi- 
tals, after which he opened an office in Pitts- 
burgh, Pa., and commenced the ])raclice of 
his ])rofession. He was quite successful in 
building up a practice tliere, but found the 
clim;ite \ery trying on his health, and re- 



turned to his native place, Where he has 

remained e\'er since. 

Dr. i""latt was united in marriage with Anna 
Hall .Stew;irt, .M. 1). This marriage took 
]ilace in Battle Creek. Mich. Mrs. Flatt is a 
n.ative of the state of Maine, but during her 
earl\ youth, her ])arents removed tO' Iowa and 
took her with them. She was educated in the 
Iowa State Normal School, after which she 
entered college at Battle Creek. Mich., from 
which she graduated. She then entered the 
University of Michigan, graduating from that 
institiuion. with high honors and a degree 
of M. D., in 1879. She began the practice of 
her chosen profession at the Battle Creek San- 
itarium, and after two years' e.xperience there 
she again entered the University of Michi- 
gan, taking a special course in bacteriology. 
Since her marriage Avith the subject of this 
sketch thev have practiced together and have 
been eniinentl_\- successful. Dr. .\nna H. is 
an unusualK' skillful surgeon. Thev ha\e one 
child. Alberthia, who was born in 1891, and is 
now a student. 

Amos Flatt, grandfather of our subject, was 
liorn in Scotland, and. after coming to the 
United States, settled in Corydon, in 1837. He 
was one of the earliest pioneers of that place 
and took- up a large tract of land, built a saw- 
mill, and followed lumbering all his active 
d;i_\s. Although the price of lumber was ex- 
tremely low at that early date, it is pleasing 
to note that our subject's grandfather became 
com])arati\'ely wealthy by shi]iping lumber to 
Pittsburg and other points. He was joined 
in marriage with Nancy Morrison, a daughter 
of .Abel Alorrison, who belonged to one of 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



the first white famiHes who settled in Warren 
County. Tliis worthy and hit^lily respected 
con])le reared four children, namely: J. W., 
a luml)ernian and a farmer; Morrison, father 
of our sul)jcct ; L. IX. and Franl<. 

Morrison Flatt, father of our subject, was 
l>orn on liis fatlier's farm in Corydon, Pa., in 
1 84 1. After rccei\ing a practical education 
in the district schools he assisted his fatlier in 
the mill; at that time his father had two mills, 
one located in tlie village and the other in 
F.Ik township, on the opposite side of the 
river. Morrison Flatt continued to follow 
hnnhering until the forests were almost all 
cut down, and then engaged in agricultural 
pursuits on his farm of 90 acres, whicli he 
liad purchased some time previoiisly. Besides 
carrying on general farming, Mr. Flatt gave 
nuich time and attention to stock-raising and 
dairying; he always had a herd of fine cattle, 
which' was a source of great pride to him and 
the envy of his less fortunate neighbors. He 
wedded Josephine Forbes, a daughter of Bel- 
\in Forljes. She was horn in Corydon and 
was educated in the district schools. ^Ir. 
Flatt did a large business during the oil ex- 
citement bv building barges and manufactur- 
ing lumber for oil fields. He was a Repub- 
lican and took an intelligent interest in partx' 
affairs, serving as collector and as commis- 
sioner for his township. He was a consistent 
member of the Methodist Clun-ch. and a \al- 
ued member of the Masonic fraternity. He 
and liis good and amiable w ife reared a family 
of fi\-e children, namelv: Clavton C. Harry 
L., .\lfred. l^leanora (Crooks), and .\hneda. 
Harr\- L. is a successful farmer and lumber- 



man; Alfred has worked in a mill; Eleanora 
is a graduate of Mt. X'ernon Academy, antl, 
])revious to her marriage, followed the profes- 
sion of teaching; .\lmcda is still single. She 
is a fine nnisician, ,l)eing a graduate of the 
Chautauqua conservatory of music. At the 
present time siie is successfully engaged in 
teaching school. 

Dr. Flatt is a Republican; being a great 
rearler of political and general topics, he keeps 
himself well posted on all the subjects of the 
day. He takes a deep interest in educational 
matters, and has served as ])resident of the 
sftfool board. He also served as township 
collector and supervisor. He is a devout 
Christian, being a member of the >rethodist 
Church. 

Socially, the sul)ject of this sketch is a 
member of the I. O. O. F"., the K. O. T. M.. 
anfl the Masonic fraternitx', and is medical 
examiner for sex'eral lodges. Our subject is 
intelligent, courteous, anil refined, and is re- 
spected for his sterling personal qualities as 
well as his medical skill. 



§AMES riULLlS, a jirosjierous and 
well-to-do farmer residing in Spring 
Creek township. Warren County, Pa., 
occupies an enviable position in the connnu- 
nitv. He is looked up to bv all as a man 
whose business princijjles are of the best, 
whose character is of the soundest, and whose 
dealings with all men are honest and uiiright. 
Of a kindl\- ruid genial disposition, and with 
an abundance of good humor, he has won 



148 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



f(ir liiinsolt' many stanch ami lirni friends in 
tlic county, lie is a bright and entertaining- 
talker, and has always at his command a fund 
of anecdotes, which, when Mr. riiillis is in 
a story-telling mood, are eagerly listened to 
l)v his host of admirers. Mr. I'hillis is a 
, pioneer and was Iwvn in Colnnilnis township, 
l*a., ]\larch 2^. \i^j,J. a son of James and Julia 
(.\rmitage) Phillis. 

James Phillis, the father of our subject, was 
])orn in Beaver County. Pa., in ^J()3,. and is 
the sou t)f an ol<l Ke\-olutionary hero. He 
moved to Clarion County, I'a., and enlisted 
in the War of 1812. serving throughout the 
coullict. In iS_'o he moved to Warren Coun- 
ty, Pa., and was one of the ])ioneers on Hare 
Creek, where he took up 150 acres of wild 
land, and, after clearing it, built a log house 
and l)arn. He also built the first sawmill in 
Cohniibus township. This mill was run l)y 
water, and rough lumber was its product. He 
carried on lumbering in Columbus township 
for a number of years, but in later life moved 
to Winnebago County, Iowa, where he 
bought another large tract of land, upon 
which he lived until his death. He married 
Julia .\rmitage. Mr. Phillis was an enthusias- 
tic si)ortsman and earned the sobriquet of 
"Jimmy Phillis, the bear hunter."' 

James Phillis, the subject of this biograjjliy, 
obtained his early mental training in Warren 
County, Pa., but subsecpiently moved to 
Beaver County, where he lived with a wealth}' 
bachelor uncle for three years. By this uncle 
lie was oiTered strong inducements to con- 
tinue there, l)iit home ties were too strong, 
and, as his mother had been in poor health f(jr 



a long time, Mr. I'hillis felt that his place was 
ne;n- her. lie accordingly deciik'd to retvn'n 
home for a while, and, although he ful \ in- 
tendeil to resume life with his uncle, he nex'er 
rejoined him. After linishing his school in- 
struction in Warren Idnntx' he learned f.arm- 
ing. lie then began to work in the oil lields 
and took the first oil into Corry, teaming 
large (piantities of it from Titus\ille, the lat- 
ter place, when Mr. Phillis first saw it, consist- 
ing of merely one hotel .and two or three 
houses. He was als(_) acti\e in the lumbering 
business, lumber being very cheap at that 
time. He operated a sawmill in Spring Creek, 
Pa., and when it was burned he built a more 
modern steam mill, which had a cajiacity of 
20,000 feet. When the timber was exhausted 
in Spring Creek he moved the plant to Forest 
County, where he bought timberland, cut- 
ting the timber from live hundred acres and 
pursuing the business there for about seven 
years. He manufactured all kinds of lumber 
and shi])ped to all points. In 1865 Mr. Phillis 
bought his present farm, which was at that 
lime uncultivated land, on which stood a log 
house and' barn. Xot more than icx) acres 
of it wei'c cleared and it was so thickly cov- 
ered with imderbrush, that it was necessary to 
burn it. The plot consists of 116 acres, and 
as it is now, is considered one of the finest 
farms in Warren County. The old dwelling 
was torn down, and in its place were erected 
a hue, sul)stantial house and barn. The barn 
is j(> by 80 feet, with a good nndergnnmd 
inclosnre, where the cattle are kept. Mr. 
Phillis is thoroughh' modern in all his ideas, 
and exervthing which he has built has been 




JAMES CLARK. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



151 



constructed in such a substantial manner that 
it will be many years before there will be any 
need of replacement. The roads in front of 
his farm are the finest in the county and he 
has brought to bear on that subject, as on 
others, the same business methods and com- 
mon sense that is characteristic of the man. 
He is a successful breeder of stock and keeps 
25 head of cattle, 100 of sheep and ten horses. 
Mr. Phillis married Maria Kelley. who was 
born and educated in Harrisburg. Pa. They 
are the parents of two children, namely: Ellis 
G. and E. Jennie. The former received his 
primary education in the district schools and 
in Titusville, and graduated in Corrv. He is 
now a successful te;icher at Cornplanter, Pa. 
E. Jennie married Grant Dalrymple, and they 
make their home in Dakota, where they have 
a splendid wheal farm of i .000 acres. Mr. 
Phillis, on enlisting in the war, entered as a 
private in an independent company, which 
was attached to the 127th Reg., Penn. \*ol.. 
on the first call for nine months' men, and 
was kept in Harrisl)urg and Washington on 
provost duty, Mr. Phillis being made a cor- 
poral. The subject of this sketch has never em- 
ployed a clerk in his business operations, and, 
although he did not recei\'e a business 
education, he is a natural I)Ookkeeper, 
and has often been ciini])liniented in court 
on the simple and natiu";il methods he uses in 
keeping accounts. At mic time he was a 
Democrat, l)nt now belongs to the Prohibi- 
tion party. He is a member of the school 
board and a road connnissioner. He is con- 
nected with the Methodist Church, being 
president of the church society. He is also 



a member of the Grand Valley Lodge, I. O. 
O. F. and E. A. N. Grange, having been pre- 
siding officer and steward of the Grange. 



§AMES CEARK, a prominent lumber- 
in;ui, and a leading citizen of Warren, 
whose portrait is shown on the preced- 
ing page, was l-.orn in Scotland. December 
2;^, 1831. and is a son of James ;nid Jane 
(McPherson) Clark, .and gi=an<lson of William 
Clark. 

James Clark, father of our subject, was Ixirn 
in Scotland in 1800. His early business ca- 
reer was occupied in lumbering and farming. 
He came to America in 1846, and settled in 
Glade township, \Varren County. Pa., on a 
farm now occupied by his son, Alexander 
Clark. After he located in this country, he 
devoted his time entirely to agricultural pur- 
suits. He was married in Scotland to Jane 
McPherson, a native of that country. They 
were the parents of six children, one daughter 
and five sons, who were named respectively: 
Isabella (Kitchen), deceased; James, subject of 
this sketch; John, now a resident of Warren, 
Pa.; Alexander, who lives on a farm in Cdade 
townshi]!, Warren County; Lewis, who died 
in 1878; and William, who died in 1874. 

The mother of the subject of this sketch 
died in 1880, and her devoted husband fol- 
lowed her to the other shore in 1883, aged 
eighty-three years. They were faithful mem- 
bers of the Presbyterian Church. In his po- 
litical views, Mr. Clark favored the Republi- 
can party and always a])plauded its success. 

James Clark, to w horn this personal history 



1J2 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



relates, received his early mental training in 
the schools of his native country, and came 
with his parents to the United States. At tlie 
ai;e of eighteen, lie took u]) the trade nf a 
millwright and followed that vocation for a 
few years, being drawn by degrees into limi- 
bering pursuits. He l)ui]t tlic Warren saw 
and planing mills locate<l on the Island, in 
1864, and operated them until 1892, when he 
si)ld out to Xewmaker & Reed. In 1882. the 
mills were destroyed by lire, but Mr. Clark 
was not to be outdone by the tirefiend, and 
ere the end)ers in the smoldering ruins had 
cooled, be bad plans ])repared for a new mill, 
which he erected and bad in operruion the 
following year. At these mills he did an ex- 
tensive business, and it was one of Warren's 
best industries while under Mr. Clark's man- 
agement, and continues as a tlourisbing enter- 
prise under the new firm. 

In 1858 Mr. Clark wedded Mary E. Stev- 
ens, daHghter of S. (i. Ste\'ens, of Warren, 
Pa., and their union has been l)lessed with 
eight children, four sons and four daughters, 
who they named as follows: George L., Jes- 
sie I., l.ucy .\., Eflward .\., Frederick C 
.\nnie .M.. Archie J. and Ethel 1-'. George 
E. married Sadie Wilson, daughter of John 
Wilson of (iarland. Pa. George E. is super- 
intendent of the Warren iv Cbautau<|ua Gas 
Compan\-. |c>sie I. married \\ . R. Johnson, 
of Jamestown. X. ^'., and b;is one son, Roy 
C a bright and ])romising Jjoy who is the 
pride of the home. Eucy .\. was m.irried to 
J. W. Richards, and resides in Warren, Pa. 
Edward .\. married .\ddie Harrigan, daughter 
of Thomas TIarrigan; thev also reside in War- 



ren, Pa., and have one son whom they call 
James .\. Frederick C. married Ida (iood- 
ard. .\miie M. is now at home, .\rchie J. 
married Maude Graham, daughter of Josiah 
Graham of Warren, Pa., and they are the 
proud and happy parents of one son, liyron 
G. Ethel E. married Carl T. Campbell, a 
resident of Sistersville, West \'irginia. and has 
one son, James T. 

Mr. Clark has been a valued and progres- 
sive citizen, always first and foremost in any 
enterprise calculated to promote the welfare 
of his adopted town. He has been a director 
of the Warren Savings Bank since its organi- 
zation, being the only one now living who 
was one of its first directors: he has also served 
on the discount committee ever since the bank 
was organized. He is vice-president of the 
Warren & Chautauqua Gas Company, and 
one of its board of directors. Mr. Clark is a 
Republican, but does not seek of^ce, or party 
favors. He is a Presbyterian, and a member 
of North Star Eodge, Xo. 241, F. & .\. M. 




\^ 



OX. CH.KREES W. STOXE, ex lieu- 
tenant governor of the state of Penn- 
sylvania, who has won high dis- 
tinction in the great and uncertain field of 
|)olitics, and also as a lawyer, is now repre- 
senting bis district in the House of Represen- 
t.itives of the United States. He is a man of 
high inte'lectnal attainments and has served 
his constituents in various official capacities in 
such a m.imier as to gain universal favor. He 
is widch known throughout the state as a 
cbam])ion of the i)eo]de and all that is right. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



163 



and a numlier of his oratorical efforts while a 
member of tlie State Legislature were hailed 
with enthusiasm, and were not without tiieir 
effect. 

Mr. Stone was the eldest of three sons horn 
to Warren F. and Mary (Williams) Stone, his 
birth occurring June 29. 1843. in (iroton, 
Mass. On the paternal side he is of English 
descent, and his ancestors were related to Na- 
thaniel Greene of Revolutionary fame, whilst 
on his mother's side of the family his ancestors 
were of Welsh extraction and settled in Amer- 
ica when it was in its infancy. \\'arrcn F. 
Stone, the father of our subject, was a carpen- 
ter by trade, and although his feeble health 
would not permit of arduous labors, physically 
or mentally, he was distinguished for his 
strong, clear and active mind. He was a mem- 
ber of the State Legislature of Massachusetts 
in the forty-second year of his life, and in the 
year following was called to his home beyond 
the grave while in the prime of life. 

The boyhood days and youth of Charles W. 
Stone were passed on the farm of his grand- 
father, with the exception of one year, which 
he s]ient at the trade of his father, carpenter- 
ing. At an earlv age he conceived an ambi- 
tion for a liberal education, and he determined 
to obtain it, notwithstanding his own then 
])oor healtli and tlie str;iitcned fuiancial cir- 
cumstances of himself and famil\-. He realized 
full well the work before him when he entered 
Lawrence Academy to ])rep:u"e for college, but 
not for an instant did lie f.ilter. .Upon leaving 
the academy he entered the Sophomore class 
of Williams College in i860, and in order to 
replenish his rapidly diminishing means he 



tauglit in a private family, sawed wood and 
performed otiicr chores during the college 
term. He did not slight his studies, however, 
and in 1863 he was graduated, having accom- 
plished his end, and that without leaving un- 
paid a single debt. Inunediately thereafter he 
moved to \\ arren, Pennsyhania, where he ac- 
cepted ;i ])osition as iirincijjal of tlie Lnion 
School, rnid continued as such until March, 
1865. when he relinquished this charge to be- 
come superintendent of the schools of Warren 
County. In the fall of the same year he was 
chosen principal of the academy at Erie, Penn- 
sylvania, but this position he resigned in No- 
vember, 1863, and went South to Mississippi 
in compan\- with F. M. Abbott, Esq., and Col. 
:\. P. Shattuck, both of whom became promi- 
nent cotton planters in that state. In 1866 he 
returned to Warren, completeil the study of 
law, and was admitted to the bar in Septem- 
ber, 1866, after which he formed a partnership 
with Judge Rasselas Brown. Never was an 
association productive of better results, and 
they continued to practice together for a long- 
er period than any other law firm in the coun- 
ty. ]\Ir. Stone is a man of great force of char- 
acter, possessed of a mind ])eculiarlv adapteil 
to the requirements of his profession, a close 
student, and a keen observer. He is logical, 
cle.'u", .and forcil)le in .■ill bis arguments, which 
cjualities, combined with his ])ersonality and 
thorough knowledge of law. have gained for 
him a prestige such as is enjoyed by none other 
in his section. 

Soon after his .adniission to the bar his exec- 
utive ability became recognized and since that 
time he has almost continually held some posi- 



BOOK OF hio(;raphies 



tion of honor and trust. In 1868 he was elect- 

t'(l to llie Ijoard of scliool directors, and the 
last throe years of liis terni lie ser\ed as presi- 
dent of that l)od\ . I le also served tliree years 
in till' lionmi^h conneil. In iS^c; he was elect- 
ed to the House of Kepresentatives of Penn- 
sylvania from Warren and X'enans^'o connties. 
and hecame a prominent fijjnrc in the first "se- 
cession." A movement by Senator Lowry of 
l'".rie ill the U])])er house and Representative 
.\mes of the lower house contemplated the 
making;- of a new county, which was to include 
portions of X'enaiii^d, W'.arren and Crawford. 
This iiroject evoked the wrath of the peo])le 
of those counties ;ind called forth a jiowerful 
s])eech from Mr. Stone which aided materia ly 
in its defeat. The people of both parties were 
heartily i^rateful for the i^reat service which 
he had renderech and upon the next election 
refused to place an o])posinfT candidate in the 
lield, and he was as^ain chosen to that office. 
L'pon the expiration of his second term he 
tm'ned his attention to his clientage and con- 
tinued in ])ractice until 1S7O, when he was 
again called into public service and was hon- 
ored with a seat in the State Senate. Here he 
was known as the s]>ecial cham])ion of the oil 
interests of the state, and his famous s])eech 
of the session was in defense of the free pil)e 
bid. which at the time was defeated, but has 
since been p.issed. and is now in force. In 1S78 
he was chosen as the logical candidate for lieu- 
tenant-governor, and was elected b\' a iii;ijor- 
ity of J3, J50 votes, serving with ability 
througli the entire term, 'idie a])])reciation of 
Mr. Stone's services was not manifested mere- 
ly hy vote of the u])per branch of the i'enn- 



sylvania Legislature, hut hy the presentation 
to liini of a gold watch and chain, the former 
bearing the following inscription: "Presented 
to the Hon. C. W . Stone, Lieiiten;uit-(iovern- 
or of Pennsylvania, January i(>. 1SS3, by the 
members of the State Senate for the sessions 
of 1879, 1881 and 1883, as a testimonial of 
their liigh regard and great esteem for him as 
a public officer, and for the impartial and faith- 
ful ])erforiiiance of his duties as president of 
the Senate." To the chain is attached a minia- 
ture gavel charm, set in diamonds. In 1883 
•Mr. Stone was one of tlie three commissioners 
who located the United States Public Pmilding 
at lu-ie. He was importuned to run for Con- 
gress in 1884 and 1886, but refused to make 
a canvass. In January, 1887, he was appointed 
by Governor Beaver as secretary of tlie Com- 
monwealth, and served until December i, 
1890, when lie resigned. He was elected to 
the Ihiited States Congress in 1890, and faith- 
fully served in that cajjacity for four successive 
terms. He has an established reputation as an 
orator and is frequently called to s])eak on In- 
dejiendence Day ami u])on other patriotic oc- 
casions. lM|uall\' ])romiuent in ])ri\ate life as 
in public, he is \ery ])opular and is a social 
favorite, making frien<ls rapidly wherever 
know n. 

j.inuar)- 30, 1868, Mr. Stone was luiited in 
m.irriage with Elizabeth Moorehead, a daugh- 
ter of Thomas Moorehead of Erie, Pennsvl- 
\aiiia, and they are the ])arents of six children: 
Grace -M.. .\niiie P, Ralph W'., Elizabeth ]\r.. 
John L. and Clara 1\. He has been ])romi- 
nently identified with the W arren Library .\s- 
sociation. lie also served as president of the 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



155 



Centennial Association iti 1895. Mr. Stone 
has been cliairnian of tlii' (.■uuiuiittce on coins, 
weights and measures of tiie U. S. House of 
Representatixes for tlie jiast four years, hav- 
ing succeeded Congressman R. I'. Bland. His 
chief distinction during his congressional ser- 
vice was won in discussions on financial ques- 
tions and in connection with kindrcil measures 
reported at various times 1)\- the committee of 
which he was the head. The fourth term of 
Mr. Stone in Congress expired March 4, 1899, 
which event occasioned general regret among 
his associates in that hodv. 



.WIl) H. SKKilNS, superin'endent 
and general manager of the Warren 
Street Railway Company, is a man 
of much enterprise and ability antl is highly es- 
teemed by the good citizens of Warren, Penn- 
sylvania, where he makes his home. Mr. Sig- 
gins enjoys the distinction of being one of the 
prime movers in the organization of the War- 
ren Street Railway Company, w hich was duly 
incorporated in 1892. The railwax was built 
the following year (1893), 'T"^' 'i''** l)een suc- 
cessfully operated ever since, with Mr. Siggins 
as general manager and superintendent, tie 
is also treasurer of the company, which owns 
about eight miles of track; the main line ex- 
tends from West End to Glade Run, and has 
two branch lines, one extending from the main 
line to North Warren and the other branch 
extending up Conewango axenue to the bor- 
ough limits. 

Mr. Siggins has proved his executive ability 




by the able manner in which he has conducted 
the affairs of the company and Iniilt u]) the 
patronage of the road. He was born near 
Tidioute. Warren Comity, Pennsylvania. De- 
cember 8, 1846, and is a son of Henry K. and 
Catherine (I.ockhart) Siggins. Henry K. Sig- 
gins, the father, early in life learned the trade 
of a blacksmith, and was considered a very 
skillful workman. He was joined in the holy 
bonils of wedlock with Catherine Lockhart, 
an amiable and affalile young lady. They 
reared a family of five boys and four girls, one 
of the boys, David H., lieing the subject of 
this sketch. Their years of companionship 
were many; Mr. Siggins followed his chosen 
calling through a long and useful life, ceasing 
his labors at the good old age of seventy-six 
_\ears, while his faithful helpmate rejoined him 
in the life beyond at the still more adxanced 
age of sevent\'-nine years. 

Daxid H. Siggins received a good, [iractical 
education in the district schools of his native 
county, and found the lessons taught there of 
nnich value to him in his maturitv. He started 
out for himself in the business of contracting 
and lumbering, which he steadfastly adhered 
to for a period of fifteen years. In 1878 he 
opened a li\ery, sale and feed stable in \\ ar- 
ren and conducted that \'er}- snccessfulh' until 
1893. when he became superintendent of the 
\Varren Ivailway Company, his present lucra- 
tive and responsible position. Our subject 
chose for his life companion Etta Guignon, 
daughter of Joseph Guignon, a respected citi- 
zen of Warren, Pennsyhauia. This hapjiy 
event w;is celebrated in 1875 'I'^'^l their union 
resulted in three children, two daughters and 



166 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 




one son, respectively named Mabel. Maude, 
and Hngli, the son being at present employed 
in the capacity of clerk for the street car com- 
pany of which \u> father i^^ the managing" ofti- 
cial. 

♦•-►^ 

1 LI. 1AM C. TATl'.. a highly es- 
iccmcd citizen of W'arrc-n Ctnmty, 
I'a., is widely known throughout his 
section as the manager of the large general 
store of James Tate, which is located in the 
\il!age of Kinzua.' He was born in Clinton 
County. Pa., and is a son of William M. and 
Sarah (Ciilbert) Tate, and a grandson of Wil- 
liam M. Tate, who was of Scotch birth. 

William M. Tate, the father of our subject, 
was an ironmaster, which was also the trade 
of his father, and he followed that line of work 
until the Ci\il War was in progress, when he 
entered the army. He served as a lieutenant 
in the 03d Reg.. Pa. Vol. Inf.. for four years, 
with great credit to himself. He participated 
in many battles, among them the battles of 
the Wilderness and Gettysburg (being 
wounded twice in the latter), and was pro- 
moted lo the rank of ca])tain. Upon receiv- 
ing an honorable discharge he again took up 
the occupation of an ironmaster, which he fol- 
lowed imtil 1880. when he embarked in mer- 
cantile pursuits in Elk Comity. He opened a 
large general merchandise store, and contin- 
ued thus imtil death. He was a member of 
the ( irand Army of the Republic. Religious- 
ly, he belonged to the Evangelical Church. 
In political afifiliations he was a Republican. 
He was married to Sarah Gilbert and their 



union resulted in the birth of eight children, 
as follows: Harry; James; George; William 
G.; Gilbert; Thomas; Nannie; and Xora 
(Stone). 

William G. Tate, the subject of this per- 
sonal history, was l)orn in 1865 and received 
his elementary training in the public schools 
of Clinton CoiuUy. When old enougli he 
began clerking in his father's store and ac- 
quired a good knowledge of the business dur- 
ing the six years he worked in that capacity. 
In 1887, he removed to Kinzua. and was at 
once installed as general manager of the store 
of his brother. James Tate. He is a keen busi- 
ness man natin-ally. and is very enterprising. 
The custom of the store increased with 
marked rapidity and its capacity is now three 
times as large as when he assumed the reins 
of management. The variety and complete- 
ness of their stock would be a credit to a 
metropolitan store. They carry a superior 
line of dry goods, custom-made clothing, hats 
and caps, boots and shoes, crockery, patent 
medicines, confectionery, hay and feed, salt, 
etc. For a long time they did a large bank- 
ing business under the name of the Kinzua 
Exchange Bank, the firm lieing James Tate 
and J. C. Fuller. But as the forest lands be- 
came cleared and the oil disappeared, it ceased 
to l)e a paying enterprise after a prosperous 
existence of foiu' vcars, and was discontinued. 

The store of which our subject is manager 
was established by James Tate, its present 
pro])rietor. in i88j. He was born in Clinton 
County, Pa., and in the course of time re- 
moved to Bradford. Pa., and engaged in 
mercantile business: from there he moved to 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



167 



Aiken, Pa., whence he went, in 1882, to 
Kinziia. where he and I. TliDnijison, Esq., 
started a sawmill in partnership. They had 
a ]5ortal)le sawmill anil l)oui;ht a tract of six 
hundred acres of tinihcrland, making- a spe- 
cialty of manufacturing railroad ties. The 
lumher husiness was in charge of Mr. Thomp- 
son, and Mr. Tate gave his entire attention 
to the general store which they had estah- 
lislied. They were among the first business 
men to locate there, there l)eing no railroads, 
and hut two stores, at that time. It is pleasing 
to ncite the progress they made ami how their 
mill business prospered. They enlarged their 
plant and acquired in all some 2,500 acres of 
tinihcrland. James Tate then formed a part- 
nership with a Mr. Rail and built a stationaiy 
sawmill on Kinzua Creek, near Morrison sta- 
tion. The timber was principally hemlock, 
and they manufactured all kinds of building 
material, having a capacity of 40,000 feet per 
day. They also made tank materials for the 
oil district to a large extent. In four years 
their land was clearetl and they sold out, 
James Tate moving to Potter County, Pa. 
He there organized the James Tate Lumber 
Company, in which T. E. King is a partner, 
and they conducted two mills, one at Springer 
and the other at Xeilly's, for four years. The 
latter was subsequently removed to Springer 
and has been discontinued owing to the scar- 
city of lumber, but w ill soon begin operations 
again, with Mr. King in charge. In i8g6 
Mr. Tate moved to Buffalo, N. Y., where he 
organized the Sterling Lumber Company. He 
is also one of the firm of Ladue & Tate, man- 
ufacturers of trousers, shirts anil overalls and 



jobbers of gents' furnishing goods. He is a 
self-made man and has won his way to the 
top by constant labor and by kee])ing his eye 
keenly open t(j business advantages. He is 
a m;ni nf honor and integrity and has done 
nnich to ile\'elop prosperous trade in McKean 
and Warren counties. He was married to 
Kate Exsmith, and they have one child, 
Blanche, who was born in 1885. 

William G. Tate, the subject-proper of this 
sketch, was united in marriage with Ida 
Dailey (a daughter of Theron Dailey), who 
was born and educated in \\ arren. They are 
the parents of four children, as follows: Metta, 
who was born in 1887; Bertha, born in 1889; 
Sarah, born in 1890; and Theron, who was 
born in 189-'. They are all attending the pub- 
lic school. In politics, he is a Repulilican and 
has served as township chaimian, treasurer 
and school director. He is a member of Kin- 
zua Lodge, No. ^/T,, I. O. O. F. ; Salamanca 
Lodge, No. 239, F. & A. M., and Salamanca 
Chapter, No. 266. 



7^ LEMANS D. ARIRD. deceased, for 
I J| many x'cars occupied one of the mos; 

^ ' prominent places in the town of 

Youngsville, Pa., and his death has left a \ a- 
cancy which can never be filled. He was a 
man of excellent character, and sterling integ- 
rity; a man who was ever willing to render as- 
sistance to all who were in distress, and one 
who was constant!}' looking out for the in 
terests of the community. Mr. Arinl was 
born November 23. 1849, in Sugar Grove 



158 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



townsliip, Warren County, Pa., and was the 
son of Joseph and Ann Arird. 

The su1)ject of tliis sketcli received liis pri- 
mary education in ihc district sciiools. after- 
ward attended the Sugar Grove L'nion Scliool 
and the ^'oungsville Union School, and then 
entered tlie Jamestown Union Scliool and 
Uollegiate Institute, where he graduated with 
honors. During his vacations Mr. .Vrirtl 
wiirkeil in order to ohtain money enough to 
cai-ry him through the ensuing terms, and 
was. therefore, jiractically self-educated. .\f- 
ter graduating from the Jamestown school, 
Mr. .\rir(l took a course of instruction at the 
UliaiUau(|u;i Uni\ersity. and then hegan his 
career as a scho(d teacher, lie was in turn 
l)rincii)al of the Irvincton, Russell and Sheffield 
schools, and in all of these positions he pro\ed 
himselt to he a thorough and competent in- 
structor. In May. i88i, Mr. Arird was 
elected to the position of county superintend- 
ent of puhlic instruction, and at the expiration 
of his first term, he was re-elected, and con- 
tinued in office until his death occurred. 

.\o\cnd)er 8, 1882, Clemans D. Arird was 
miite<l in marriage with I'jinna .\xtell. a 
(laughter of Dr. Axtell. of ^'oungsville, Pa. 
Mrs. .\rird was horn in Xew Lehanon, Mer- 
cer County. Pa.. August 24, 1855, and was 
educated in the Edinhoro State Xonnal 
School. Previous to her marriage Mrs. Ariril 
taught school in Warren County for several 
years. She is possessed of rare mental endow- 
ments, and of s])lendid social (|nalities. One 
child, r,thel, was born to Mr. and Mrs. Arird, 
hut on December 9, 1886, the little one died 
of fever. The fond parents were so constant- 



ly at her bed-side, that after the weary days of 
watching were over, .Mr. .\rird was worn out 
in body and mind, and when disease laid its 
heavy hand u])on him. he fell an easy prey. 
He became ill with fe\cr. but rallied, and when 
thought to be doing well, jineunionia set in, 
and on January 4, 1887, he ])assed away from 
the scene of liis earthly labors. 

Mr. Arird was a mend)er of the Masonic 
Lodge of Sugar Grove, Pa., and of the .\n- 
cient Order of United Workmen at Lander, 
Pa. Though of an unobtrusive and gentle 
disposition, he was widely known througliout 
Warren County, and the northwestern sec- 
tion of the state. In his ofticial capacity lie 
was greatly admired and respected by all who 
came in contact with him, and was accorded 
the distinction of being one of the most popu- 
lar and successful instructors in this part of 
Peimsyhania. He was faithful to every trust, 
both in public and private life; in office he was 
particularly diligent and efficient, and though 
it has been several years since his untimely 
death, his memory is warmly cherished by 
those who knew him long and well. 



fj^OHN W. DUXKLI-:, a proniuieut and 
successful attorney of Warren, Pa., is a 
son of Michael and Caroline I Poyer) 
Dunkle, and was born in Perrv township. 
Clarion County, Pa., November 9. 1855. 

Michael Dunkle was born in 1801, in Berks 
County, Pa., and moved to Clarion County 
with his parents when he was but eight years 
old. The family located in West Freedom, 
Perry township, and there .Michael was reared 




Ho\. SA.MLL-L S. TuW I.KK, M. 1). 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



161 



and trained to agricultural pursuits, and fol- 
lowed this occupation all his life. He suc- 
ceeded to the ownership of a portion of the 
old homestead, where he li\cd until his death, 
in 1875, He married Caroline Boyer, a na- 
tive of Germany, though at the time of her 
marriage, a resident of Clarion Count)*. She 
was a daughter of Henry Boyer, and her death 
occurred at the age of sixty-three. Their 
children were as follows: Olive; Peter S. ; 
Henry C. ; John \\'., the subject of this biog- 
raphy: X'alentine F.; Alfred: Cyrus G.; and 
Carrie L. Michael Dunkle was a member of 
the Baptist Church, while his wife belonged to 
the Methodist denomination. Mr. Dunkle 
was a Democrat until Lincoln's administra- 
tion, when he became a Republican. 

John W. Dunkle, the subject of this sketch, 
attended the common schools of his nati\'e 
town, and was also a pupil of the Etlinboro 
State Normal School. He taught a district 
school for five winters and a select school two 
terms. He then began his law studies at the 
Michigan University and graduated with the 
class of 1880. During the winter of 1880- 
188 1, he again taught school and then began 
the practice of his chosen profession in North 
Clarentlon, Warren County, remaining in that 
town until November 30. 1887. Mr. Dunkle 
was elected district attorney in the fall of 1887, 
and the acceptance of this office necessitated 
his remo\al to \\ arren, the county-seat. He 
so satisfactorily performed his duties in that 
office that he held it for nine successive years, 
being re-elected in 1S90 and 1893. Politi- 
cally Mr. Dunkle is an active Republican and 
has always taken a deep interest in the poli- 



tics of the county. While a resident of North 
Clarendon he served as burgess, and chairman 
of the Republican county connnittee in 1889 
and 1892. He has been attorney of the Cone- 
wango Building & Loan Association since its 
organization in 1894. 

September 19. 1883. Mr. Dunkle was united 
in marriage with Susie Dillon, daughter of 
Rev. Samuel Dillon, of Illinois, and this union 
has been blessed with three children: Lester 
Dane: W. Earl, and M'urna M. Mr. Dunkle 
has always been considered one of the ablest 
attorneys of the county, and has a very lucra- 
tive practice. Being a remarkably active man 
in the town, lioth in a business and social way, 
he has a large circle of friends. 




ON. S.XMUEL S. TOWLER, M. 1)., 
the member of the State Legislature 
from Forest County, and the most 
prominent physician of that section, although 
a resident of Pennsylvania for but a few vjears, 
has attained a pre-eminence second to none 
among the business and professional men of 
his district of the Keystone State, and this en- 
vial)le standing is not the issue of fortuitous 
circumstances, but the result of a life of close 
business application, piloted by an active mind 
largely endowed with nature's best and most 
useful faculties. 

Samuel S. Towler is a native of lingland, 
and is a son of Rev. William and Mary (Phil- 
lips) Towler, the date of his Ijirth lieing June 
6, 1843. His father. Rev. William Towler, 
was a prominent and powerful expounder of 
the doctrines of Methodism, and while in Eng- 



162 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



land held many important charges. In 1845 
lie was sent to this country by his church. 
Realizing' that his denomination was then in 
its infancy in the United Slates, and believing 
that his services would be of more value in 
this field, he took passage on a sailing vessel 
and, accompanied by his family, after a long 
and tedious \o)age, landed in New \'ork City, 
where he at once took up acli\e church work. 
He was a man who knew no rest so long as 
there was a call to administer the blessings of 
God. He was indefatigable in his efforts to do 
good, but after all he was only mortal. "Con- 
stant dripping wears the stone," and in 1846, 
at the early age of thirty-six years, he was call- 
ed to the great beyond, leaving a loving wife 
and seven chiKlrcn to mourn his loss. But they 
were not to suffer alone, for in him the church 
lost one of its most faithful and earnest work- 
ers. His union with Mary Phillips resulted in 
the birth of the following children: \\'illiam 
H.; James P.; Mary A.; Thomas P.; John 
P.; Samuel S., our subject; and Charles. .\f- 
ter her husband's demise Mrs. Towler re- 
mained in New York City for a short time 
and then moved to Toronto, Can., where her 
husband's relatives lived. 

While in Canada Dr. Towler. our subject, 
attended the junior branch of a normal, 
known as the "Model School." This was fol- 
lowed by a course in a granmiar school, anf! 
at the age of seventeen years he returned to 
the United States with the avowed intention 
of taking up the study of medicine. He began 
study under a preceptor at Cleveland, Ohio, 
and at the same time attended lectures in the 
Cleveland Medical College. lie remained 



there until 1863. when he secured a position 
in the quartermaster's department of the Army 
of the Cumberland, and continued in service 
until the close of the war. During this time 
he had ample op])ortunity to study surgery in 
all its branches, that being his object in enlist- 
ing. After the close of the w ar he invested his 
savings and engaged in the mercantile busi- 
ness with a partner. He established the Inisi- 
ness on a firm, paying basis, and then decided 
to take a short vacation, thinking his partner 
a man to be trusted. But, after a short respite 
from his labors, and about si.x months after the 
I)artnership was made, he returned,- only to 
find that during his absence his partner had 
sold everything and then disappeared. This 
trickery and dishonesty cost him all he had, 
and he was obliged to begin life anew with but 
twenty-five cents in his pockets, that being 
the sum total of his wealth. But with a grim 
determination to succeed in the world, the 
Doctor entered the insurance business and 
while pursuing that line of work became ac- 
cjuainted with the leading citizens of Brook- 
ville, Pa. In 1868 he located in that village 
and entered acti\el\' upon the study of medi- 
cine in conncctit>n with other business, there 
remaining until 187J, when he entered the 
University of Michigan and completed a full 
course. Following his graduation he located 
at Millerstown, now called Chicora, in Butler 
County, Pa. While there he became interested 
in the "wild cat" oil regions and engaged in 
lumbering in the vicinity of Marienville. Dur- 
ing this time he continued the practice of med- 
icine in Millerstown, but his growing interests 
in litith hunber and oil necessitated a change 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



163 



of residence. In 1878 he located in Marien- 
\\\\e, which has since lieen his home, and up to 
1884 he was active in tlic hunl)er industry, but 
in that year he droppeil most of his outside 
interests and devoted his entire time to his 
practice, which had ^rown rapidly and as- 
sumed large proportions. 

In 1890 the Republicans of Forest County 
nominated Dr. Towler for the State Legisla- 
ture, and his election followed. He served his 
constituents faithfully and well, and there were 
few members of that body more active than 
he. During the session of 1891-92 he served 
on the follow'ing committees: Counties and 
townships; education; legislative apportion- 
ment; library; and public health and sanita- 
tion. In 1898 he was re-elected and was 
placed on the following committees: Ways 
and means, the most honored in the House; 
public health and sanitation; law and order; 
retrenchment and reform; fish and game; and 
printing. Prior to his election to the Legisla- 
ture he took part in local politics, having serv- 
ed as school director, justice of the peace and 
in various other township offices. He was 
also president of the L'nited States board of 
pension examiners. There is no medical man 
in the Thirty-seventh Judicial District who has 
been more actively interested in his profession 
than Dr. Towler, who is always looking for 
a chance to better himself that others may re- 
ceive the benefit. He is a nuMnbcr of the fol- 
lowing medical orders: ButlerCounty Medical 
Society, of which he is vice-president, and 
chairman of the conniiittee on scientific busi- 
ness; Pennsylvania State Medical Society: 
American Medical Association; and Associa- 



tion of Railroad Surgeons. He is also a mem- 
ber of the I. O. O. F., having passed all the 
chairs in both the subordinate lodge and the 
encampment. 

On May 20, 1874, Dr. Towler was joined in 
hymeneal bonds with Clara B. Hunt, a daugh- 
ter of Hon. John D. Hunt, and granddaughter 
of Cyrus Blood, the founder of Forest County. 
Cyrus Blood was born in New- Ipswich, N. H., 
in 1795, and was of English-Irish descent. He 
was educated in Boston, Mass., and in 1820 
married Jane McAnulty of Chambersburg, Pa. 
In 1833 they came to Jefferson County, Pa., 
which had formerly l:)een a part of Indiana 
County, the north part afterwards being set 
apart as Forest County, and there they pur- 
chased large tracts of land. Mr. Blood was 
one of the founders of Forest County, gave 
it the name and located the county scat at 
Marienville, on his farm. He was a Democrat 
in political affiliations, and was first associate 
judge of the county. Our subject has a picture 
of the first court house, a story and a half 
wooden l)uilding made from hewed timber. He 
died in i860. He had five children, of whom 
Mrs. J. D. Hunt, the mother of our subject's 
wife, was one. 

John D. Hunt, the father of Mrs. Towler, 
was born in West Hartford, Vt., July 3, 181 1, 
and received a conmion school education. In 
1833 he moved to Marienville and engaged as 
a laborer with Cyrus Blood. In 1843 l^^ ^'^^^' 
ried Marien Blood, the eldest daughter of Cy- 
rus, and after whom the town of Marienvil'e 
was named. By her he had two children: 
Clara B., our subject's wife; and Cyrus F.. of 
Marienville. He was a farmer and lumberman 



164 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



and attained considerable prominence. In 
1867 he was elected a nienilier of the T.cgisla- 
tnre l)v the Democratic iiarly, and it may well 
he said that the district was never nK)re ahly 
represented, lie was also county trea.surer 
and filled m.iny dtlicr uflices of importance, 
lie was an elder in the I'reshyterian Church 
and helju'd to huild the church at Maricnville. 
He died in Septenilier. 1SS7, and his relict re- 
sides in Marienville. He was a man who be- 
gan life in a lowly way, and 1)y untiring indus- 
trv and honesty of purpose met favor in the 
eyes of his fellowmen and rose to a position of 
honor in the state. 

P.v his union with Clara L'>. Hunt Dr. Tow- 
ler l)ecame the father of four children: Maud, 
the wife of Dr. .\. K. Stonccipher, who resides 
in Marienville; Louis, who died at the age of 
six vears: and Marien K. and Harold H.. 
twins, the former of whom died at the age of 
four vears. ( )ur subject and his wife are faith- 
ful members of the Presbyterian Church, of 
which he has been an elder for twenty years. 
Dr. Towler's portrait accompanies this .sketch, 
being presented on a preceding page. 




\TrHl-:\\' .\. BLACK, ex-postmas- 
ter, and a very highly respected citi- 
/,en of Sheffield, Warren County, 
Pa., was born in North Pine Grove, Clarion 
Countv, Pa., in 1869, and lived there until he 
attained the age of five years, when he was 
taken to P>utler County, Pa., to live with ;ui 
uncle, and it was there that he received his 
education. When grown to manhood he 
moved to SheftTcld, established a grocer's bus- 



iness there in 1890, and succeeded in building 
up ;i l.irge trade among tiiat class of patrons 
w itii w liom it is desirable to do btisiness. After 
fotu" _\ears had passed by in that occupation 
he decided to discontinue it mid acce])t the 
])rot¥ered position of postmaster of .Shetfield. 
In 1894 he entered ujion the duties of his new 
station, which he i)erfornied in a most capable 
manner luitil his retirement, in 1898. Our 
subject is a son of Patrick Black, and grand- 
son of James Black. James Black was one of 
the [lioneers of Clarion County, Pa., having 
mo\ed there from Butler County. He was an 
agriculturist of no mean repute; having es- 
tablished himself on a large farm he suc- 
ceeded in clearing it, and bringing it into 
a fine state of cultivation, and was considered 
one of the most successful and progressive 
farmers of his day. 

His son Patrick, father of Matthew A., was 
born on the old homestead in Clarion 
County, in 184 1, and continued to reside there 
until 1890, when he joined the "innumerable 
caravan" to "that undiscovered country, from 
whose bourne no traveler returns." He re- 
ceived the ordinary education of a farmer's 
boy, when "book learning" was a secondary 
matter, and was not considered of nnich im- 
portance. Like his father, he followed agricul- 
tural pursuits the whole of his active life, leav- 
ing a family of six children, who were: Syl- 
vester, Andrew, Lawrence, John, Mary, and 
Matthew A., the subject of this sketch. 

Matthew A. Black was united in weiUock 
with Mary Farrell, a daughter of James Farrell 
of Sheffield, Their marriage was consummated 
in 1896, and of this miion were born two chil- 




WILLIAM W. MUIR. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



167 



(Iron — one son. James, and a danghter, Kath- 
erine iMclelia. Mrs. Black's maternal "Trancl- 
parcnts were Michael and Xora C'aniff. natives 
of Dublin, Ireland, as also were her paternal 
grandparents, John and Kate Farrell. She is 
one of a family of fu'c children, whose names 
are: Esther, John, and Xora, all r-siding at 
Middletown, Ohio; Mary, the wife of our sub- 
ject; and Katie, who is a clerk in the dry 
goods store of C.'H. Smith & Co., of Shef- 
field, Pa., and makes her home with her pa- 
rents. The family are all members of the 
Catholic Church. Mr. Black is a Democrat in 
his political views, and strongly adheres to the 
doctrines advocated b\' the leaders of that 
])arty. He is popular and well liked, having a 
host of friends, and has properly sustained the 
character of an upright and honest citizen. 




ILLI.VM W. MUIR, general mana- 
ger of the Crew, Levick Company 

oil refinery, of Warren, Pa., whose 
portrait is presented on the opposite page, 
was born at Carbondale, Pa., April lo. 185 1, 
and is a son of John and Caroline (Smith) 
Muir and grandson of William Muir, who was 
a nati\'e of Edinl)urg, Scotland, and came to 
America in 1823, locating in New York, 
where he lived most of his active life. His 
last years were s])ent in Carbondale. Pa., 
where he died at the ad\anced age of ninety- 
four; his wife reacheil the great age of ninety- 
three years. They reared two sons. John and 
Robert. John was born in Edinburg, Scot- 
land, in 1801, and accompanied his father to 
this country, in 1823. He was a carpenter 



and joiner by trade and followed this all his 
active career; he still lives in Carbondale. He 
m;irried Caroline Smith, who died at the age 
of forty-one. They reared three sons and two 
daughters. 

William W. Muir was educated in his 
native town. At an early age he began 
to learn the trade of a mar])le-cutter. in which 
he served his apprenticeship, but did not fol- 
low it. He took the trade of carpentering 
under instructions and began contracting in 
1877. confining his work to the construction 
of oil plants. In 1871 he went to Corry, Pa., 
where he built the Clark & Warren refinery 
and managed its operation for three years. 
He then reconstructed the Mutual Oil Com- 
pany refinery at Reno, \'enango County, and 
managed the plant for three years. 

In 1878 Mr. Muir located in Warren and 
liecame manager of the Glade Filtering 
Works; in 1889 he constructed the ]\Iuir Oil 
Works and organized the company, which 
commenced business the same \ear, with Mr. 
Muir as manager. The Muir ( )il Works ac- 
cjuired large producing interests and put in 
pipe lines, also arranging for their own sup- 
ply of fuel by drilling for gas. The gas in- 
terests were afterwards consolidated with the 
W^arren & Chautauqua Gas Company. In 
1891 the Glade Oil Works and the Muir Oil 
Works became a part of the holdings of the 
Crew, Le\ick Com])any. with Mr. Muir as 
general manager. 

]Mr. Muir is recognized as one of the solid 
business men of W arren. and is closelv iden- 
tified with its interests, being allied with its 
various industrial enterprises; he commands 



168 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



the respect of the citizens as a man of sterHng 
quahties. He is one of the most skillful re- 
finers in the country and the success of these 
large oil enterprises is due to his wise man- 
agement. He is ever ready to encourage any 
substantial undertaking, and never fails to do 
his share of the work or hear his part of the 
cost. On any (jucstion of puhlic concern he 
is willing to express his views, and no citizen 
need l)e in douhl as to where he stands. He 
has the courage to tell the truth and never 
shirks the responsibility of any of his acts. 

In 1872 he was united in marriage with 
Martha Fuller, daughter of A. K. Fuller, of 
Carbondale, Pa., and four children were born 
to them: George, who is associated with his 
father; Carrie; Eddie; and Marion. Socially, 
Mr. ]\luir is a member of the I. O. O. F. In 
reIi"ious matters he favors the M. E. Church. 



T. BORDWELL, an extensive real- 
estate owner of Bear Lake, owns 
and operates a large manufactur- 
ing plant in Freehold township, Warren 
County, Pa. This plant was purchased by 
Mr. P.ordwell in 1885 and contains grist, shin- 
gle and planing mills. Since coming into his 
possession it has been thoroughly remodeled 
and is now one of the most com])lete plants 
of its kind in this coimtry. Previous to its 
purchase our subject was engaged in mer- 
cantile business at Bear Lake. In 1868 he 
ceased working at the carpenter trade, which 
had occupied his attention after the close of 
the Ci\il War, and invested his earnings in a 
store at Bear Lake, carrving a nice assort- 




ment of general merchandise. After operat- 
ing this store very successfully for a period of 
fifteen years he sold out in 1883, but after a 
two years' vacation he was back in harness 
at the old store, where he remained until 
1887, when he purchased his -present mill- 
lirojierty. 

Our subject was born in Freehold, now 
Wriglits\ille, Pa., in 1843, and was instructed 
in the public schools of his native township. 
He then began working by the month in a 
sawmill and was in the employ of the Jeffer- 
son Lumber Company until the outbreak of 
the Civil War. In 1864 he enlisted in the 
15th Reg., N. Y. Eng. Corps, and partici- 
pated in the conflicts of Petersburg and 
Hatcher's Run, serving valiantly until the 
close of the war. Mr. Bordwell is of English 
origin, and enjoys the distinction of being one 
of the best-born men in the Thirty-seventh 
Judicial District of Pennsylvania. He is a 
descendant of one of the most distinguished 
of American families, who can trace their 
lineage l)ack to the days of the Conquest. 

The original name was De Berdewell, and 
the first ancestor of whom a biographical ac- 
count is to be had is Sir William De Berde- 
well. who was born in I3'^»7, and was a de- 
scendant of Ralph De Berdewell, who, for 
gallant services received a grant of land from 
William the Conqueror, in 1066. Sir William 
lived in what was later called "I3ordwell," near 
Bury St. Fdnumds. in Suffolk, England, 
where he possessed a castle. There is very 
little of the castle now standing, and it is con- 
sidered one of the most picturesque ruins of 
England. Sir William was a noted warrior. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



169 



and fought with distinction under Henry V. 
and Henry \'I. of England, being standard- 
bearer under tlie latter. In the year 1400 a 
grant of £20 per annum was made to him by 
Michael De La Boles, carl of Suffolk. He 
was "knighted" for valiant service under 
the "Black Prince" at Crecy. A few of Sir 
William's relics were [ircscrved; the sword 
and armor he used at Agincourt and also his 
gilt Bassilor armor. These relics fell into the 
possession of his son Robert, the next in 
succession. 

In 142 1 Sir William rebuilt the old family 
church edifice, adding tower, roof; porch and 
stained-glass window. This is known as St. 
Peter's Church, and to this day is standing in 
Bordwell, Suffolk County, England. The 
stained-glass window is of especial interest to 
the Bordwell family, and the portrait con- 
tained therein is one of the most unique and 
ancient in stained-glass designs in England. 
The painting is portrayed in several colors, 
and makes an effective picture. The Knight, 
Sir William, is shown in comi)lete armor, with 
sword and spear, kneeling with his helmet 
by his side, and appropriately bearing the 
Bordwell coat of arms. Sir William De Ber- 
dewell was united in marriage with I\Iary 
Packingham, a favorite daughter of Sir Wil- 
liam D. Packingham. He died in 1434, leav- 
ing large and valuable estates. The next in 
line of succession was Sir Robert De Berde- 
well, who married Margery Jenney, daughter 
of Sir Thomas Jenney. 

The first representative of the Bordwell 
family in America was one Robert Bordwell, 
who was bom in London, England, in 1647, 



and l)ecame apprenticed in that city to learn 
the hatter's trade. He lived in London dur- 
ing, perhaps, two of the most disastrous in- 
cidents in the history of England — the plague 
and the great fire, which consumed 32,000 
houses. Robert Bordwell came to America 
in 1670, at the age of twenty-three, landing at 
Boston, where he engaged in the manufacture 
of hats. As is always the case, blood quickly 
asserted itself, and, following the family in- 
clination for fighting, he engaged in the war 
with hostile Indians, known in history as 
King Philip's War. At one time he was 
given the charge of forts; at another we hear 
of him carrying dispatches, but at all times 
he was noted for his extreme coolness and 
bravery in the face of danger. He served 
under Capt. William Turner, and was with 
him when he surprised and routed the In- 
dians, killing 200. Robert Bordwell built and 
operated the first hat factor)- in America, at 
a place which was later called Hatfield, where 
he spent the greater portion of his life, and 
was an active and influential citizen. By in- 
dustrious exertions he accumulated a great 
deal of valuable property. In November. 
1676, he was joined in matrimony with Mary 
Gull, a daughter of William and Eliza (Smith) 
Gull. Their son Samuel was the next in line 
of ancestors. 

Samuel Bordwell was born at Hatfield, 
Mass., in 1680. and died March 18, 177 1. He 
was a noted tavern-keeper and chose for his 
life partner a Miss Martha .Allen, daughter 
of Edward and Mercy (Painter) Allen, high- 
ly respected residents of Deerfield, Mass. 
This most happy union resulted in a family of 



170 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



14 cliihlrcn. one of whom was Enocli. Knoch 
Bonhvell first saw the light of day in 1722. 
He was united in marriage with Experience 
Stel)l)ins. an entertaining dangliter of John 
Stebl)ins. Tliis lia])|)y event was celebrated 
in 1745. Tiie young folks settled in Mon- 
tague, ]Mass., where their children were born, 
but subse(|uently removed to Shelburne, 
Mass.. where Mr. L'ordwell's tleath occurred 
in September. 1817. His son Enoch was tlie 
next in line and was the great-grandfather of 
our subject. 

Enoch Bordwell, great-grandfather of our 
subject, was born at Montague in 1748. In 
1 77 1, occurred liis marriage with Abigail 
Wells, a daughter of Jonathan Wells. Enoch 
moved back to Shelburne, where his death 
occurred in 1789. He left considerable prop- 
erty and his will contained an item in cash 
amounting to £625 19s 5d. In the distribu- 
tion of his property it was further stated in 
the will that Chester, the eldest son, should 
receive double the amount paid the others. 
This seemed scared v fair in consideration of 
the fact that his family consisted of ten chil- 
dren, but was in strict accordance with the 
old-time custom of favoring the eldest son. 
Mnoch r.oi-dwcll. grandfather of our subject, 
was born ;it Shelburne. Mass., in 1775. His 
marriage with Roxanna .Vims occurred in 
ij')'). Mrs. Bordwell was a daughter of 
I'disha Xims, and bore her husband eight 
children. After his marriage Enoch Bordwell 
removed to Potter. Yates County, X. Y., in 
1804. He dejiartcd this life in 1838. 

Stoddard I'.ordwell, the father of the sub- 
ject of this sketch, was born at Deerfield, 



Mass., in 1800, and received his scholastic 
training in Potter, X. \'., after which he en- 
gaged in farming. I,\(lia H. Carr. a daughter 
of Ren1)en ;uid l.ydi;i (Tanner) Carr, became 
his wife and pro\ed herself a most valuable 
assistant to him. Jn i8j8 they removed to 
Bear Lake, Pa., and built a log house. Ow- 
ing to lack of supi)lies they were forced to 
abandon the place and return to their former 
home at Potter, Yates County, X. V. In 
1830 they returned to Bear Lake and suc- 
ceeded in making a home. The trip through 
the wilderness occupied ele\en days, and was 
a severe undertaking for his famil\-. His 
goods were hauled overland in wagons 
drawn by two yokes of oxen. His first pur- 
chase was his farm of 65 acres. This worthy 
couple reared a family of eleven children, all 
of whom lived to noble manhood and woman- 
hood. Their names are as follows: Enoch; 
Lydia E. (Howard); Maiy R. (Smith); Rich- 
ard C. ; John S.; Clarissa; Leander; Sarah M. 
(Hill); C. T., subject of this life rexiew; Zama 
.\. (Hill), and Chester. Clarissa and Leander 
are dead. 

C. T. Bordwell was united in marriage with 
Laura L. Pierce, an accomplished lady. She 
was born in Lottsville, Pa., in 1850, where 
she was also educated. Before her marriage 
she was successfully engaged in teaching. 
The home of our subject has been blessed 
with four children, namely: Elwood, T. Ivan, 
India M. and Elvan. Elwood graduated from 
.Vllegheii}' College. Meaclville. I';i., and. after 
reading law, was admitted to the Warren 
Coimty Bar and is now a practicing attornev. 
T. Ivan is also a graduate of Allegheny Col- 




HON. JOHN H. SANDSTKOM. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



173 



lege. India M. is a graduate in music and is 
now teaching at Bear Lake, Pa. Elvan is 
now attending Allegheny College, being a 
member of the graduating class of 1903. It 
is needless to say that Mr. and Mrs. Bordwell 
are extremely proud of their oiTspring, whom 
they have sparctl no pains to educate, and 
who have lived to rellect great credit upon 
tlieir honored parents. ^Ir. Bordwell has 
been a member of the National Guard of 
Pennsylvania for eleven years, as sharpshoot- 
er all that time. He has served as lieutenant 
for five )ears, and during the troubles at 
Homestead w as on dut\- 95 days. He is inde- 
pendent in politics and has served as justice 
of the peace for eight years. Socially, he is 
a charter member of the Sylvia Lodge No. 
1025, I. O. (). F., and is also a valued mem- 
ber of the J. G. Andrews Post No. 70, G. A. 
R. He was postmaster at Bear Lake for twen- 
ty consecutive years. 

In looking back o\'er the history of the 
family in America it is pleasing to note that 
its members were always prominent in busi- 
ness and in war, proving their intense loyalty, 
and were backward only in the grab for office 
— it being almost as characteristic of the fam- 
ily to decline political preferment as to be 
among the first to offer their services in time 
of war. The family furnished more than its 
(|uota of officers and i)rivates in the early In- 
dian wars, the Revolutionary War, and the 
^\'ar of 18 1 2. Sexeral years ago one A. F. 
Bordwell began the task of gathering materia! 
for a history of the Bordwell family, whicli 
work was begun nearly thirty years ago by 
James H. Crafts, then of W'hately. The book 



will have great interest for the members of 
the family, inasmuch as it will be a complete 
record of the familv from its first appearance 
in England to the present time, covering a 
period of 900 years. It will pay particular at- 
tention to the descendants of Roljert Bord- 
well, the first of the family in America; in fact 
the history of the family in America will be as 
complete as possible, and the book will be a 
valuable genealogical work, to be prized by 
every Bordwell, and others as well. 



?5)TON. lOHX H. SANDSTROM. 




=n prominently connected with social 
orders and present associate judge 
of Warren County, Pa., was born in Sweden, 
April [2, 1855. and is a son of John and Anna 
M. (Vanman) Sandstrom. He was instructed 
in the schools of his native country, and at 
tlie age of thirteen years came to America 
with his father. He took up the trade of a 
carriage builder, serving an apprenticeship 
under his father. At his father's death he as- 
sumed charge of his business and remained in 
Frewsburg, N. Y., until 1885, when he moved 
to Warren, Pa., and engaged in the same 
business, continuing until 1889. That year 
he was appoiiUed deputy internal revenue col- 
lector by President Harrison and continueii 
in that office until the advent of the Cleve- 
land administration, when he retired and as- 
sumed the role of an insurance agent, which 
business he has since followed. In 1895 he 
was elected to the office of associate judge on 
the Republican ticket for the term ex|)iring 
January i. 1901. In December, 1897, a part- 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



nersliip was formed witli C. M. and C. E. 
Shawkey, under llie llrni name Santlstrom & 
Sliawkcy, conducting- a ijcneral insurance 
business. Judi^e Sandstrom now conducts tlie 
l)usiness alone. 

Jiilni Sandstrom, fatlier of our subject, was 
l(urn in Sweden and was reared, educated, 
taught Iiis trade and married there. He came 
to .\merica in 1868 and settled at Frewsburg, 
Chaulau(|ua County, N. V. lie was a carpen- 
ter and joiner and also a carriagcmaker by 
trade. The former trade lie followed during 
his early life, but from the time he came to 
this country until he died he built carriages. 
He married Anna M. X'anman, a native of his 
own town. They reared a family of three 
children: John H.. our subject; Ainia (Lar- 
son); and ]\Iary (Xelson). lie was a Luther- 
an in his religious belief and a Republican in 
j)olitics. 

Judge John if. Sandstrom, though a man 
of strong mind and a tletermined will, is no 
exception to the multitude of his worldly 
brothers. Like unto most of them, he was 
suscei^tible to the smiles of fair young ladies, 
and as a consequence he fell a victim to the 
unerring aim of Cupid's arrow shot from the 
bow of a Miss Mary II. W'cstling, daughter 
of Jonas and Sophia Wrestling, of Conewango 
lownsbi]). W arren Countv. I'a.. and they were 
united in marriage .\pril J(), 1880. They 
ha\-e one son, Harold C, a bright and inter- 
esting lad. 

As l)efore mentioned Judge Sandstrom is a 
very jirominent figure in social circles. He is 
a member of Mount Maria Lodge, No. 145, 
F. & A. M., of Jamestown, N. Y.; Warren 



Lodge, No. 8t, K. of P., in which he has 
passetl through all the chairs, and was colonel 
of the 4th Reg., U. R., K. of P. He organ- 
ized the Warren Lodge of the Scandinavian 
Brotherhood in 1888, and is the originator 
of the Bnjtherhood, which was formed in 
1893. He was the first supreme president, 
and served for three years in succession. He 
was re-elected to that office in 1898 and still 
fills it. He served three years in the Penn- 
sylvania State militia — from 1888 to 1890 — 
in Co. 1, i6th Reg., and held the "badge" for 
sharpshooting every year he was in the 
service. 

We take pleasure in stating that an excel- 
lent portrait of Judge Sandstrom, executed 
from a recent photograph, is presented with 
this sketch of his life. 




HOMAS I. RAKER, the genial pro- 
prietor and bu.siness manager of a gen- 
eral merchandise store in Lottsville, 
Freehold township, Warren County, Pennsyl- 
vania. \vhcre lie is also filling the office of 
justice of tiie peace, is a stanch Republican 
and has ser\ed his party in various positions 
of trust, such as township commissioner, con- 
stable, auditor, collector, and school director. 
Mr. Raker has had a marked and varied ca- 
reer, di\'crsified by many interesting experi- 
ences, prominent among which are his very 
exciting army adventures, which he delights 
to relate to the anxious hearers who gather 
about him to listen to stories of many hard- 
fought battles, some of v.hich were lost to our 
cause, and some were glorious victories. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



175 



The greater part of tlie life of Thomas I. 
Baker has liecn spent in tlie lumbering indus- 
try, and not until quite recently did he em- 
bark in the mercantile business. In i8g8 he 
purchased the general store of George Olds, 
and at once commenced stocking it with a 
new and complete assortment of staple and 
fancy groceries, queensware, dry goods, no- 
tions, boots and shoes, etc. Being a thorough 
business man, he anticipates the wants of the 
people, realizing that the success of his pres- 
ent enterprise depends largely upon his keep- 
ing in stock just such articles as are most in 
demand. Under his management, even for so 
short a time, the patronage of the establish- 
ment has increased very i)erceptibly, and his 
many friends predict that his store will speed- 
ily become one of the most popular trading 
places in Warren County. 

Thomas I. Baker was born July 6, 1837, in 
the same township in which he now resides, 
and is a son of Isaac and Susan (Bates) Baker, 
being the second child, and eldest son, in a 
family of eight children. His scholastic train- 
ing was received in the village schools of 
Lottsville, after which he began his career by 
entering the employ of Haggerty & Allen, 
lumbermen, where he remained until the out- 
break of the Civil War. In September, 1861, 
he enlisted in the Union army as a member 
of the 9th Reg., New York Cavalry. The 
regiment to which he belonged was at once 
ordered to Westfield. and thence to the front, 
where the lighting was the fiercest. Mr. Baker 
participated in a great many battles and nu- 
merous skirmishes. On June J J. 18O3. he was 
taken prisoner and sent to \\'inchester, Va., 



for a time, being transferred later to Belle 
Isle, Richmond, where he was confined one 
week, during which the famous battle of Get- 
tysburg was fought. As his regiment did 
great service in that memoral)le and bloody 
battle, Mr. Baker was sadly disappointed by 
not being able to prove his bravery along with 
the others. In September, 1863, he was ex- 
changed, rejoining his regiment near Culpep- 
per, \'irginia, October 7, 1863. Three days 
later camp was broken, and, after crossing the 
I'Japidan River, the battle of Morton's Ford 
was fought. Air. Baker was so severely in- 
jured in this engagement that he was reported 
mortally wounded, but he finally recovered 
after a long siege in the hospital, and was 
musterctl out of service October 7, 1864, as a 
corporal. 

After the war closed he returned to Lotts- 
\ille and purchased a half interest in a saw 
mill, the other half interest being owned by 
his wife. Mrs. Baker was a daughter of Shel- 
don and Lucinda Wynn Allen, natives of 
Penns\i\ania. Mr. Baker continued operat- 
ing the old mill, which was run by water 
power, until 1884, and in that year built a new 
one, operated by steam, and having a capac- 
ity of 15,000 feet per day. This is located at 
Lottsville. Later a planing and shingle mill 
was added, and the output was still further 
increased. This plant is still in successful 
operation. 

Isaac Baker, father of Thomas I., was of 
English origin, and was born in London, 
where he received his education. When twen- 
tv-one years old he came to .\merica, cross- 
ing the ocean on a sailing vessel. After a 



176 



BOOK OF I5I0GKAPHIES 



voyage of six weeks he landed in Canada, 

staying- tliere hiit a short time, wlien lie 
crossed over the border and located at Ithaca, 
New York. There he engaged in agricultin'al 
pnrsnits until i^.t5. when lie removed to Free- 
hold townshi]). \\ arren Comitw I'cnnsvlvania. 
and Ixnight a farm in that townsliip. lie was 
un.ited in marriage witli Susan Bates, of 
Ithaca. X. ^'.. who did much to assist him in 
many ways. lie succeeded in clearing his 
farm of 50 acres, and built a log house for the 
accommodation of his family. Very soon he 
was enabled to |)urchase an additional 50 
acres, which he cleared and converted into 
|iroducti\e fields. In addition to the manage- 
ment of his farms, he conducted a hotel in the 
village of I-ottsville for a period of six \'cars, 
but relin(|uished the latter business, devoting 
his whole time thereafter to farming. 

In his political views the elder Mr. Baker 
faxored the ])rinciples of Democracy, and at 
one time ser\ed his party as constable. He 
and his good wife reared a family of eight 
cliildrcn — three sons and fi\-e daughters, 
namely. F.lecta J. (Johnson); Thomas, the 
subject hereof: William W.; Fydia M. 
(Phelps); Eliza .A.; Horace A.; Susan D. (. Ab- 
bott), and F.mma A. (Whitney). 

The home of Thomas I. Baker is rendered 
happier by the addition of one son. Earl, of 
whom both Air. and Mrs. Baker are justly 
proud. .Mr. P.aker takes a great interest in 
educational matters, and considers it the duty 
of the citizens of every communitv to look 
after the \ounger mendiers. who in time will 
follow in the footsteps of those who are pass- 
ing awav. It is scarcelv necessarv to add that 



this upright man and good citizen is receiving 

his just reward in the apjireciation and |)atron- 
age of his many friends and neighbors. So- 
cially, .Mr. Baker is a member of \V. C. Carr 
Post, G. A. P.. the Grangers society, and the 
Lottsville Lodge, No. 631, 1. O. O. F. 



§()IIX SWEETING, a prosperous and 
well-to-do farmer of Glade townshii), 
Warren County, Pa., was born Decem- 
ber 6, 1832. in Derbyshire, England. He is a 
son of Jacob Sweeting, and grandson of 
Simon and Elizabeth Sweeting, all of whom 
were natives of Derbyshire, England. Simon 
was a prominent shoemaker of that place, but 
died at the early age of forty years. His wife, 
Elizabeth, attained the good old age of eighty 
years. 

Jacol, Sweeting, father of our subject, after 
being educated in the English schools, learned 
the trade of a stone mason. He was joined in 
matrimony with Mary Rogers. In 1840 they 
came to America, and settled in Rochester, 
X. A'., where they remained about a year and 
a half. They removed in 1843 to Elk town- 
shi]). Warren County, where Air. Sweeting 
purchased some land and erected a log house. 
Later he sold his jilace in Elk township and 
moved into Glade township, where he resided 
until the time of his death. He purchased 
land there and became a prosperous farmer, 
taking much interest in educational matters, 
and the affairs of the township in general. He 
served as school director, and as road master. 
In jiolitics he was a stanch Republican. He 
and his good wife reared a familv of six chil- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



dren: Jacol); John, subject of tliis sketch; 
William, now resichng in Warren; Elizabeth 
(Wilson), who makes her home in Pine Grove; 
Lucy (Myers) and Mary (Blair). 

John Sweeting received his primary in- 
struction in the schools of England, finishing 
his education after coming to America, where- 
upon he assisted his father in farm work until 
lie attained his majority, purchasing at that 
time a farm of 40 acres in Glade township. He 
inunediatel}- began im]iro\ing this farm.lniild- 
ing a neat, model residence, which retlects 
great credit on his taste. In 1861 he secured 
for his life-partner Lucinda Miller, and took 
her to the home already prepared. 

Lucinda was a daughter of Jacob and Eliza- 
beth (Ruchenbach) Miller. When her parents 
came to America they settled first in Buffalo, 
N. v., then went to Fremont, Ohio, but final- 
ly moved to Warren, in 1857. Lucinda was 
mentally trained in the public schools of Fre- 
mont, Ohio, where she was born, and also 
those of Warren County, Pa. 

August 15, 1862, our subject enlisted in the 
Union Army, in Company C, Pa. \'ols., the 
first rendezvous being Camp Curtin, at Har- 
risburg. Pa. He distinguished himself at the 
battle of Antietam for bravery, but the com- 
pany of which he was a member was princi- 
pall\' detailed for the dangerous work of scout 
duty. May 3, 1863, he requested to be trans- 
ferred to Battery H, Penn. Artillery, and be- 
came first cannoneer of the principal piece of 
artillery of that battery. June 7, 1865, he re- 
ceived an honorable discharge from the serv- 
ice. 

Mr. Sweeting and his amialjle coiupanion 



are blessed with a family of seven children, as 
follows: .\nna (Shattuck) of Kansas City. 
Mo.: Jnhn W., of Illinois, still a bachelor; 
(h.irlotte (Knupp) of Warren; George W., 
who also enjoys single blessedness and assists 
his father on the farm; Ida (Karr); Helen L. 
and Rosa B., affable young ladies, still resid- 
ing at the homestead, where they and their 
brother, George, entertain their luimcrous 
friends in a charming manner. 

Mr. Sweeting is, like his father, a Repub- 
lican; he has served as road master and judge 
of elections. He and his family are regular 
attendants of the Methodist Church, of which 
they are members. Socially, Mr. Sweeting is 
a memlier of Eben X. Ford Post, No. t,^C). 
G. A. R., and Mrs. Sweeting is a member of 
W. R. C. No. 45, Warren, Pa., in which she is 
holding the office of guard. 



§ACOB SWEETING, one of the good, 
reliable citizens of Glade township.War- 
ren County, Pa., -is a farmer by occupa- 
tion and an oil-])roducer, and has been \ery 
successful in iiis business affairs. He was l)orn 
in Derbyshire, England, and is a son of Jacoli 
and Mary (Rogers) Sweeting, and a grand- 
son of Simon and Elizabeth Sweeting. 

Simon Sweeting was a prominent shoe- 
maker of Derbyshire. England, but died at 
the early age of forty years. His wife Eliza- 
beth attained the ripe old age of eighty years. 
Jacol) Sweeting, the father of the subject of 
this personal h.istory, although his educational 
advantages were few, was a good scholar, ex- 
celling especially in arithmetic. After attend- 



178 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



ing school in F.noland, he learned the trade of 
a stone mason. In 1840, with his family, he 
came to America and located in Rochester, 
N. Y., w here he remained abont one and one- 
half years. In 1843 he removed to Elk town- 
ship, Warren Connty, Pa., where he pnr- 
chasefl land and erected a log house. Dispos- 
ing of ihis place, he later remo\-ed to (jlade 
township, where he resided the remaining 
days of his life. He owned property in that 
township, rnid wris a prosperous farmer, tak- 
ing interest in all public improvements, espe- 
cially in matters in the educational line. In 
politics he was for some time a supporter of 
the l\epul)lican party, but in the last years of 
his life cast his votes for the cause of Prohibi- 
tion, He was united in marriage with Mary 
Rogers, who died January 22, 1889, and they 
became the parents of six children, namclv 
Jacob, our subject; John, a well-to-do farmer 
of (jlade townshi]); William, who now resides 

in Warren: Elizabeth (Wilson), who makes 

» 

her home in Pine (irove; Lucy (Myers) and 
Mary (Blair). Jacob Sweeting senior died in 
Noveml)er, iS/t), aged seventy-five years. 

Jacob Sweeting, his son, was born August 
17, 1830, and received his primary instruc- 
tion in tlie English schools, finishing it in the 
American schools. He then took up farming 
with his father, and in 1856 worked the farm 
for himself, building a house on the property. 
He cleared the timber from his land, placed 
it in a high state of cultivation and became a 
prTispcrous man. In 1883 he discovered o\\ 
upon his property, and at once Ijccame a pro- 
ducer. He now has eight wells witliin his 
limits, five of which he leases, working the 



other three in a successful manner. Mr. 
Sweeting is a very pleasant gentleman to meet 
in pri\'ate or business life, and possesses many 
friends throughout the county. 

In 1858 he was united in marriage with 
Louisa P. Sharp, a daughter of William 
Sharp, a native of England; she was born in 
Warren County, and was taught in the dis- 
trict schools. They are the parents of ten 
children, namely: Flora B. (Greenlund), of 
Warren County; Joseph B.; Hannah D.; Bes- 
sie L. (Rowley), of Glade Run; Florence (Em- 
ory); Simon, deceased, who lived at St. 
Mary's, Ohio; Grace; Harry, who works on 
the farm at home; Madge (Peterson), of War- 
ren; Glenni W., of Warren; and Clarence B-., 
also of W'arren. The two last-named were 
members of Company I, under Capt. Whee- 
lock, in the i6th Reg., Pa. Vol. Inf., and 
served in the Porto Rico campaign in the late 
war. Mrs. Sweeting died May 18, 1894, aged 
fiftv-six vears. 




HOMAS H. BINES is esteemed as one 
of the prominent and valued citizens of 
Stoneham and is connected with sev- 
eral enterprises in that \illage. Besides own- 
ing interests in many oil wells in the \icinity 
he does considerable contracting and building 
and also operates a siuall farm. Honesdale. 
Wayne Comity, Pa., is his native ])lace. the 
date of his birth being Decemlier i, 1845, and 
he is a son of John Bines. 

John Bines was born in England and con- 
tinued to reside in his native countrx- during 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



179 



his early days, pursuing tlic calling of a farm- 
er; shortly after his marriage to Miss Chris- 
tiana Pialemy, the mother of our subject, he 
came to the United States and settled in 
Honesdale, Pa., where he followed canal-boat 
l)uilding the remainder of his life. He died 
at the age of sixty-two years. His first wife- 
bore to him fi\e children — John, Elizabeth, 
Thomas H., Christiana and Joseph, and his 
second marriage was with Mrs. Williams. 

Thomas H. Bines attended the connnon 
schools of Honesdale and at the age of four- 
teen years he began to serve an apprentice- 
ship as a boat builder and later as a mill- 
wright. In 1867 he came to the present vil- 
lage and was first engaged in building a tan- 
nery for J. K. Palmer and Leroy Stone; he 
afterwards built all the houses, stores and 
barns connected with the above tannery. After 
our subject had enlarged the tannery he took 
charge, in 1888, of the outside work — esti- 
mating timber and repairing. Thomas H. 
then began to operate in oil -and in 1883, on 
lot Ko. 464, he began to work his first well 
under the firm name of Bines & Hugh. He 
has since been connected with the firms of 
Rogers & Bines and Bines & Armergost, and 
he is now interested in twenty-four producing 
wells, four being located on his land, two of 
which are flowing. January i, 1890, Mr. Bines 
purchased of Mrs. Carr ten acres of the old 
Grossenburg homestead and in the following- 
year he erected a neat residence and barns. 

Mr. Bines was first joined in marriage with 
Miss Helen M. Bunnell, a daughter of Pike 
and r.orinda Bunnell. She died, aged twen- 
ty-eight years, leaving tw'o children—Lizzie, 



and Ida, the wife of William F. Cogswell. 
Ella Ben.son, a daughter (if U. H. and Mary 
.\nn Benson, of l^iion City, Pa., was Mr. 
Ihnes' second wife and she ]:)assed from this 
earth at the age of ihirty-nine years. Two 
sons blessed this union — Thomas H., Jr., and 
Ray. Mr. Bines is a Republican in politics 
and has served as road connnissioner, school 
director and justice of the peace, and was 
again re-elected to the latter position, but on 
account of his time being fully occuined with 
his other business atifairs he was unable to 
accept the position. Religiously, he is a 
Methodist, while socially he is a member of 
the Royal Arcanum. 




HARLES C. BEAN, an extensive oil 
producer and a resident of Weldliank, 
Mead township, Warren County, 
Pa., was born in Sheffield township, in War- 
ren county, October 15, 1850. He is a sou 
of the late Charles K. Bean. 

While still a lad he began lumbering with 
his father. Like his lirothers, he began at 
chores, passed from that to the next stage, 
that of driving oxen, then to cutting timber 
from the forest, and later followed rafting on 
the creek and river. Thus he passed through 
the successive stages of lumbering and be- 
came thoroughly acquainted with the meth- 
ods then in use. In 1882 he purchased some 
land at \\'cldbank, where he now owns 33 
acres and is interested in 65 oil wells. He has 
had money invested in oil wells ever since the 
tliscovery of oil in that vicinity, and now owns 
some of the best-paying wells. Soon after 



180 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



])iirc1i;ising land at Wcldliank he built a fine 
residence there, wliich is his present conven- 
ient alidde. 

("harks i\. i'lcan, father of oiu" subject, was 
born in Knniford. Me., and at tiie age of 
twenty-one started west on a tour, locating 
in the forests of W arren County among the 
pioneer lunibernieu and l)ecoiuing one ot 
them. After following that occupation for 
some time he accmnulated sufficient money to 
purchase land for himself, buying at the ]>res- 
ent sites of Hickory and Ft.i.xburg. This land 
contained heavy timber — in fact, it was a very 
hue ])ine forest, and he soon began cutting 
and rafting logs down the Tionesta Creek to 
the m.arket at Pittsburg. In that way he 
earned luonev and made furtiier purchases of 
land until he owned 300 acres. He subse- 
{|uently sold this land, and with his family 
reiuoxed to \\'eld1)ar.k, where he purchased a 
small tract of land, containing a log cabin, 
surrounded bv forests. Mr. Bean and family 
occui)ied the cabin as a home and again he 
began the arduous task of clearing up his 
land. .After clearing a small portion, with the 
proceeds obtained from selling his logs, he 
was en.abled to ])urchase more land from time 
to time, until he again found himself in pos- 
session of 300 acres, ^\'ith the assistance of 
his boys and his ox-teams — and he was noted 
for having the finest oxen in the district — he 
succecflcd in clearing all his land and market- 
ing the logs. He was a sturdy man and a 
hard worker, and in that w;iy accumulated a 
nice fcjrtune. .\fter man}' years of toil and 
hardshi]) he finally sold his land and lived a 
life of retirement and ease until death over- 



took him, in if^93, at the age of seventy-two 
years. 

He married Lavina Ijall, a daughter of Jas- 
jjer Ball of I'^ast Hickory. She died at the 
age of sixty-li\c years. Fi\e children were 
the result of their union: Luther 1)., I\ufus 
Nelson. Charles C. iMank C, and Orville. 
Luther D. is a successful lumberman of Puget 
Sound, ^Vash. He served three years in the 
Civil War. Rufus Nelson died when a youth 
of seventeen; Charles C. is sul)ject of this no- 
tice; Frank C. is a lumberman of Mead town- 
shi]); Orville is also a resident of Mead town- 
ship. Our subject's father was a fine pilot, 
his knowleclge of the creeks and rivers Ijeing 
obtained by his many trips down the river 
while rafting logs to market. In politics he 
was a stanch Republican, and was a member 
of the F. & A. M. and L O. O. F. lodges. 

Charles C. Bean was united by the holy 
bonds of matrimony with Katie Schuler, a 
daughter of John Schuler, of Mead tcnvnship. 
Four children came to brighten their home: 
C. Freeman, Dana L., .\nnie May and C. 
Shirley. C. Freeman married Mary Lasser 
and has one daughter. Nina; he is engaged in 
the oil business; Dana L. married Fditli Wil- 
son and is connected with a refining comjiany 
at Foxburg: the_\- ha\e two children, Percy B. 
and Catherine; Annie May is the wife of Fred 
Alsinger, of Glade Run, Pa.; C, Shirley is still 
a student. 

Mr. Bean is an inlluential member of his 
community. Ju his political \iews he is a 
Democrat, decided in his opinions and cour- 
ageous in his utterance of them. His relig- 
ious views are broad and liberal, but Mrs, 
Bean prefers the Exangelical Church, 




WILLIAM HODGES. 



THIRTV-SEVKNTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



183 




r\ 



ILLIAM HODGES, a retired black- 
smith of much skill, and a promi- 
iciit and esteemed citizen of Russell, 
fine Grove township. Warren County, Pa., 
whose portrait is shown on the opposite page, 
was Ijorn in Warren, Warren County, Pa.. De- 
cember 24. i8j6. He is a son of John and 
Rachel (Fountain) Hodges and grandson of 
William Hodges. 

William Hodges, our sul)ject's grandfather, 
was a native of Canada, whence he removed 
to Pittsburg with two sons and, in 1813, lo- 
cated in Warren, Pa. He it was who obtained 
the contract for buikling the first court house 
of Warren County. After completing the 
Iniilding he received for his pay $1,200 in mon- 
ey and 2,000 acres of land, extending from 
Warren up to Kinzua, and this same tract now 
comprises Glade and Elk townships. 

John Hodges was born in Canada Septem- 
ber 24, 1 801, and accompanied his father to 
Pittsburg, and in 1813 came to Warren Coun- 
ty, Pa. He assisted his father in building the 
court house above-mentioned, and after its 
completion he accepted from his father a gift 
of a portion of the latter's 2.000 acres. John 
busied himself by clearing. culti\ating and im- 
proving the land thus obtained, and lived 
there the remainder of his life, engaged in 
farming and lumbering. He died at the age 
of seventy-nine years. He was united in wed- 
lock with Rachel Fountain, a daughter of 
Francis Fountain, of Freedom, N. Y. Seven 
children were liorn to them, namely: 
\\ alter, who died at the age of twen- 
ty-one years; John A., who married Phoebe 
Akeley, a daughter of Joseph Akeley, 



one of the oldest settlers in Russell, and 

reared three children: Eliza J. l)ecame 
the wife of James Benson, of Warren County, 
and their family consisted of four children; 
Elizabeth, wife of George Benson of New- 
York State, a cousin of the James Benson 
above-mentioned, — they have two children; 
Rachel M., wife of Frank Mabbett of Chau- 
tau(|ua County, X. Y., has a family of three 
children; Mary Ett married George Walkley 
of Warren County, Pa., and has one child; 
and William, subject of this sketch. 

\\'illi;un Hodges was educated in the public 
schools of Warren and in the academy there. 
After leaving school he learned the blacksmith 
trade under J. H. Johnson of Warren. After 
working with him for about two years Wil- 
liam, in 1846, went to Russell, where he work- 
ed two years for George W. Rush. At the 
close of that time, having become quite skillful 
in the business, he built and opened a shop of 
his own in Russell. After twenty-five years of 
hard and steady work, during which period he 
enjoyed a large and well-paying patronage, he 
retired from active business pursuits on ac- 
count of his failing health. In 1848 he pur- 
chased a house and lot of Joseph Akeley. In 
1870 Mr. Hodges tore down the old house and 
built in its stead his present large, commodious 
and comfortable residence. Our subject has 
been twice married. His first wife was Mary 
Akeley, a daughter of Joseph .\keley. one of 
the pioneer settlers of Russell, who went to 
that vicinity when it contained only two or 
three houses. Mary bore her husband one 
child. M.irtha. who died in 1851, at the age 
of one vear and six months. .Mr. Hodges' 



184 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



second wife was Mattie Fry, a daughter of 
.\I)rani and Chloe (Gage) Fry, respected citi- 
zens of Albion, Oswego County, N. Y. 

Ahrani Fry, Mattic"s fatiicr, was a son of 
John and Mary (Ouackcnhusii) I'ry. who liad 
the following cliildren: Henry: Jului; Ahrani; 
Katie; Polly; and Anna. Ahrani was born in 
Oswego County, N. "N'., where he was also 
reared and educated, after which he learned 
the Idacksmith trade. He married Chloe Gage, 
after which he moved to Albion, Oswego 
Count)', N. Y. Their union was prolific of 
the following children: Chloe, wife of Elias 
Crawford, of Scotland, — they have three chil- 
dren; Sarah; Mattie. wife of our subject; 
Julia, who died young; Abrain, who married 
Jane Mecham of Richland township, Oswego 
County, N. Y., and has seven children; Silas; 
Jason; Harmon, who married Hattie Duel), of 
Oswego County, N. Y.; Almon; and Byron. 

Mr. Hodges is a Republican and has served 
as constable for many years, also serving as 
collector for a number of years. He is very 
liberal in his religious views. Since his re- 
tirement Mr. Hodges has recovered his usual 
health and. in ;i pleasant home surrounded by 
many comforts, is now enjoying the fruits of a 
well-spent life. 

R. WILLIS M. BAKER, a leading 
physician and surgeon of Warren, 
Pennsylvania, stands very high in his 
profession and is widely known by his contri- 
butions to the medical press and other literary 
publications, as a sound thinker and a hard 
student of medicine and surgery. Dr. Baker 
is a son of Hiram A. Baker, wIkj will be re- 



called as a prominent lawyer and an extensive 
operator in oil in Titusville and Corr\', this 
state. Dr. Baker is a grandson of Simeon Ba- 
ker, who was a native of Connecticut and who 
settled in Steuben County, New York stale, 
early in life. He died as the result of an injury 
at the age of seventy-five years. Tdis wife lived 
to be ninety-two years of age. 

The father of our subject, Hiram A. Baker, 
was born at Howard. New York, March 22. 
1884. He removed with his parents in 1830 
to Crawford County, Pennsylvania, and there- 
after resided in that county and in Erie Coun- 
ty, this state. Mr. Baker studied law with ex- 
Congressman H. L. Richmond of Meadville 
and was admitted to the practice of the legal 
profession in 1848. While studying law he 
also taught schools in various parts of Craw- 
ford County. In 1849 'i^ married Arvilla A. 
Mather, whose mother was Gabriella (Bal- 
mat) Mather, and was born in Paris, France, 
being a descendant of Cotton Mather. An 
heirloom in the family is a portrait group 
showing five generations, the grandmother of 
our subject being the eldest. She was born in 
1792 and jiassed to her hnal rest iii 1S86. Mr. 
Baker, soon after his marriage, settled in Ti- 
tusville, Pennsylvania, remaining there until 
1868, when he removed to Corry, which city 
he made his home until his death, in January, 
1898. For several years Mr. Baker was law 
partner with Hon. C. O. Bowman, and after 
the death of the latter he was associated with 
ex-Mayor Crosby, which copartnership ex- 
isted at Mr. Baker's death. He left his widow 
and six children, as follows: C. L. Baker, wdio 
is a prominent member of the bar in Erie, 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



Pennsylvania; the subject of our sketch; Dr. 
L. B. Baker of Eric, Pennsylvania; Mrs. M. 
R. Sears and Mrs. G. A. Elston, wife of a 
prominent physician, both residing in Corry, 
Pennsylvania; and Miss Camilla E. Baker of 
Corry. 

Our subject was born in Crawford County 
in 1856. He was educated in the public 
schools of Corry and at the Clinton Liberal 
Institute in Oneida County, New York, after 
which he began the study of medicine with 
Dr. C. B. Kibler of Corry. He then took 
three courses of lectures at the Buffalo Med- 
ical College, from which he graduated in 1878. 
For a year Dr. Baker served as a member of 
the staff of the Buffalo General Hospital and 
then removed to Bradford, where he practiced 
a short time, finally locating in Warren, where 
he has built up a large and lucrative practice. 
Dr. Baker was president of the alumni associa- 
tion of the Universit}' of Buffalo Medical Col- 
lege in 1896. He has served two terms as 
president of the Warren County Medical So- 
ciety, he is a member of the Medico-Chirurgi- 
cal College of Philadelphia, and also a member 
of the Pennsylvania state board of charities. 
He is a curator of the University of Buffalo. 
He stands high in the Masonic fraternity, be- 
ing a past master of North Star Lodge No. 
241, past high priest of Occidental Chapter 
No. 235, and a member of Warren Command- 
er}' No. 63, Knights Templar. 

Dr. Baker married Susie Thompson, daugh- 
ter of Hon. C. C. Thompson, e.x-speaker of 
the Pennsylvania State Assembly. The hap- 
py couple have two children, a son seven years 
old and a daughter liftcen vears of age. Aside 



from active practice of his profession Dr. Ba- 
ker is interested in lumbering with his broth- 
er, C. L. Baker, of Erie. 



AMD M. McCALL, one of the most 
substantial, thrifty and successful fur- 
niture dealers and funeral directors in 
Tiilioute, Warren County, Pa., where he is 
also largely interested in the production of 
oil, has the reputation of being not only a suc- 
cessful business man, but also a fine singer 
and an eloquent orator. He was born in 
Mead\ille, Crawford County, Pa., April 25, 
1835, and is a son of Samuel and ^lartha 
(Morris) McCall, and grandson of William 
McCall. 

\Villiam McCall was a nati\e of the state of 
New Jersey and went from there at a ver)- 
early date to Crawford County, Pa. William 
attained the very advanced age of ninety- 
seven years, but his wife, whose name is not 
known, died earlv in their married life, leav- 
ing the following children as a legacy to her 
husband: Sally; Polly; Nancy; William; and 
Samuel, the father of our subject. 

SanuicI McCall was a prosperous farmer 
and \er}- successful business man of his day. 
He settled in Crawford County, Pa., among 
the very first pioneers, clearing a farm of 120 
acres and otherwise doing his part toward 
making that section of the county fit for the 
habitation of man. By the persevering, con- 
tinuous and energetic efforts of those early 
pioneers that \ast wilderness was transformed 
into fine, cultivated fields, and peaceful, quiet 



186 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



homes. His farm was about two and one-half 
miles from the jiresent site of Meadville. He 
chose for liis life companion Martha Morris, 
an accom]>li.sliccl daughter of David Morris, 
who was horn in L'tica. N. V., but sought a 
home among the pioneers .and farmers of 
(.'raw fditl CuuiUy. i'a. She was a devout 
memljcr of ilie i'resbvterian Church and 
reached the good, old age of eighty-eight 
years, while her husband was a faithful mem- 
ber of the M. E. Church, and departed this 
life aged seventy-six years. Their children's 
names are as follows: James; Mary: Phoebe; 
Nancy; David M., subject of this sketch; Wil- 
liam; Samuel: Levi L. ; Joseph, and John. 
Tliey are all now deceased, with the exception 
of ])a\-i<l M. and his sister Xancy. wife of 
Judge X. W. McConnell. of Montana. 

David M. McCall attended the puldic 
school, taking a finishing course at Meadville 
.\cademy. At the age of eighteen vears he 
began to serve a regular apprenticeship with 
J. Carr. of Meadville, as a cabinetmaker and 
undertaker. In those days, all furniture was 
made by hand and all joints were required to 
be fine. Coffins were never kept on hand, 
ready made. l)ut were made to order oidv. 
After a death the prf)per measurements were 
secured and then began the construction of 
the casket. The workmen then worked both 
night and ilay mitil it was finished, polishing 
the wood with beeswax and a hot iron; no 
rough boxes or cases were then used, but 
boards were laid above and below the coffin. 
Those methods were far inferior to the ones 
now in vogue in coimection with undertaking 
and cml;a!ming. 



When our subject had completed his ap- 
l)renticeship he worked at his trade six 
months as a journeyman and then launched 
out into business for himself. He purchased 
a water power at Townville and an old mill. 
}^e rebuilt the mill and for twenty-one years 
thereafter was engaged at that place in the 
manufacture of furniture and in undertaking. 
During the last ten years of that time lie also 
carried on the livery business. He finally 
decided to seek a better location and sold his 
business at Townville, removing in February, 
1875. to Ticlioute. where he purchased a fur- 
niture establishment, which was first started 
by George Aarons, afterward known as 
Aarons & McCall. The McCall then interest- 
ed in the firm was Levi L., a brother of David 
\1. After the death of Levi his mother rep- 
resented his ])art of the business until the 
whole establishment was purchased by Davitl 
M., in 1877. He rented the building now oc- 
cupied by him, carried on business there for 
three years, and then moved across the street, 
where he continued it for nine years longer. 
At the close of that time he was enabled to 
purcliase the old stand, which was built by 
Josei)h Thomas, and there he has remained 
imtil the ])resetit time. Mr. McCall has re- 
modeled the whole l)ui]ding, on the first floor 
of which he carries a fine, large and select 
stock of furniture. The second floor contains 
the family living-rooms or residence portion, 
and the rear part contains store rooms stocked 
with a fine line of uiulertaking goods and 
caskets, the very best olitainable. As a fu- 
neral director and an expert embalmer, Mr. 
McCall has built up a remarkable reputation, 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



187 



and, as he is personally one of the most popu- 
lar men in town, he enjoys a laro;e patronage. 

Hannah J. Noble became the wife of our 
suljject. They were hapi)ily married January 
8, 1861. and four children were the result of 
their union; Allic Jennie, wife of George Og- 
den of Cleveland. ( )liio: Mary Maud, a charm- 
ing young lady, who enli\ens the home with 
her joyous presence; Frank Morris, who was 
accidentally drowned at Tidioute, at the age 
of fourteen years; and Levi Lewiston. The 
death of Frank Morris was not the only af- 
fliction that his parents were called upon to 
bear hv an allwise Father; I^evi I^ewiston. the 
youngest son. was also taken by the Grim 
Reaper at the tender age of seven months. 

Mrs. McCall died December 28, 1881. 

fn addition to the lousiness al)Ove men- 
tioned Mr. McCall has been one of the oil 
producers in his section. He has handled a 
great many leases for others, has been asso- 
ciated with many wild-cat comjianies and has 
been president of others, some of which have 
met with success and others with failure. He 
is still interested in several companies. He is 
a stanch Reisubhcan. as was his father, and 
has served two terms as school director and 
in other minor offices. He is a member and 
past grand of the I. O. O. F. Lodge 
and past royal patriarch of the Encampment. 
He is present commander of the .-\. ( ). L'. \V. 
and also belongs to the Knights of Honor. 

Our sul)ject is an actixe member of the 
M. E. Church, has served as steward and trus- 
tee and as leader of the choir for eighteen 
years. Mr. McCall is a charter member of 
the Trio Company's L'ndertakers and Funeral 



Directors' Association, of which he has been 
president, and many papers contain compli- 
mentary allusions to his numerous addresses 
while serving in that capacity. Especial men- 
tion is made of his eloquent address at the 
close of his second term as president and the 
aljle manner in which it was deli\'ered. 




ATTHEW J. RYAN, the genial and 
)spital)le proprietor of the "Ryan 
House," the leading commercial 
hotel of Tidioute, A\'arren County, Pa., is an 
acrobat by profession and has led a most re- 
markable career. In 1894 he purchased the 
present hotel, which was built by W. P. Shaw 
in 1861. This property he at once began to 
improve — enlarging it and adding all modem 
conveniences for the comfort of his guests. 
The hotel contains 42 rooms, all well lighted, 
heated and ventilated, with numerous bath- 
rooms and closets, also well heated and light- 
ed; the buikling throughout is supplied with 
both hot and cold water. 

In his large cliningroom can be found, 
three times a day. finely decorated tables, sup- 
plied with the best and most seasonable eat- 
ables, which are served to the guests in a 
strictly first-class manner. The late "bill of 
fare" of "mine host" is a sample of his j<illy 
disposition. Mr. Ryan is jiromptly on hand 
to meet all trains and welcome the many 
patrons of his hotel. He ushers them into 
the conmioilious oltice and reading-rooms 
and parlors, bidding them be of good cheer 
and partake freely of his viands. In the man- 
agement of this hotel our subject is ably as- 



188 



BOOK OF HIOGRAPHIES 



sisted 1)v his charming and entertaining wife, 
wlio was a Miss Kate C'ochcner l)ef(>re her 
marriage witli Mr. Ryan. Jolm Coclicner, a 
])rospcrous and ])rogressi\e farmer, is lier fa- 
ther. She is well skilled in the art nf making 
the guests of the "ivyan House" feel perfectly 
at home and of arranging matters as agree- 
ahlv for them as jiossihle. The care and man- 
.'igement of the rooms is under her direct sn- 
])ervision. as is also the cidinary dei)artment, 
and hy her assiduous watchfulness everything 
ahout the place is kept neat and clean. She 
has largely assisted in establishing the splen- 
did reputation which the "Ryan House" en- 
joys, both in Tidionte and with the traveling 
element. ^Matthew J. Ryan was born in Keys- 
ville. N. \'., is a son of Edwin and Mary 
(Fleming) R\an, who were l)oth natives of 
Ireland and came to America in early life. 
His father was an ag'ricultnrist until he moved 
to Warren County, Pa., after which he was 
connected with the Pennsylvania & Erie R. R. 
He was drowned in the Johnsburg flood of 
1861; his companion survived him until she 
attained the age of seventy-si.x years. They 
were the patents of seven children, who were 
named: Mary: hdlen: Maggie; .\nnie; Kate; 
Willi.-un; and Matthew, the subject of this 
sketch. 

\\ hen Matthew w;is twelve years old he 
rmd his lirother \\'illi;nn began to practice 
acrobatic mcnements and became so clever 
and expert in the art that they gave public 
exhibitions of their skill the same year. The 
following year they engaged with the Elliott 
Robinson Show and were \-erv successful, re- 
maining with that company two years, dur- 



ing which time they were looked upon as 
wonders of their age. .Afterward they en- 
gaged with Thayer & Noyes, filling a con- 
tract covering three seasons. They then spent 
one season with John O'lirien, two seasons 
with the Trans-. Xtlantic ('om]iany, and one 
season with 1 lilyard iSj Hunting. During this 
period they had become expert acrobats and 
by their skill won great celebrity. They per- 
formed most difficult feats of \anlting, tum- 
bling and with triple bars. These are exhi- 
bitions requiring great skill, sujipleness and 
steadiness, and the two famous acrobats not 
only diverted and astonished children by their 
marvelous agility in performing them, but ex- 
cited the admiration of all. The next season 
Matthew was alone with James Thayer as 
comic clown; he then appeared one year with 
the Shelby, Pullman & Hamilton Circus as 
one of the "Three Ryans." 

In 1882 our suljject took the name of "Ri- 
cardo" and traveled with John L. Fritz. The 
following year was spent with the Miles- 
Orton Show, after which he joined the Big 
U. S. Show in San Francisco, Cal., as the 
great leaper and acrobat. In 1884 he was 
with the Boston Novelty Troup; in 1885 with 
the Pullman-Dingles Circus, and in 1886 be 
engaged with Bob L. Hunting, with whom 
he remained through sex'cn seasons; after 
this he ga\e up his profession and retired. 
Starting out as a mere boy, he grew to be 
one of the l)est and most successful acrobats, 
receiving the highest salary paid to men of 
his profession. He visited all the princi])al 
cities of the United States during the course 
of his acrobatic career. He had the reputa- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



189 



tion of being very graceful in his movements 
and filled his call at times when many others 
would lia\c failed, always winning great aj)- 
])lause. ThdUgli he was the victim of many 
accidents, such as broken limbs, ribs, etc., he 
was again at his pust at the earliest possible 
moment. 

After his retirement Mr, Ryan opened a res- 
taurant in Tidioute, which he sold a little 
later, going to Clarksburg, W, Va., where he 
embarked in the grocerv business for a couple 
of \ears. On returning to Tidioute, in 1894, 
he purchased his present hotel. The subject 
of tills sketch and his wife share alone the 
comforts and pleasures of wedded life, as no 
issue has resulted from their union, Mr. 
Ryan is a member of the K. of P. and the 
Elks. 




"ARRY H. DAVIS, M. D. This cul- 
tured and learned gentleman, whose 
natural talent and superior ability 
have been devoted to relieving pain and car- 
ing for those who ha\e been brought into 
deep distress by disease, is a well-known and 
successful practitioner of Lottsville. Pennsyl- 
vania. In villages and small settlements the 
doctor plays a more important part in the do- 
mestic economy than in the large cities, for 
he is a man of brilliant attainments and pos- 
sesses the confidence and esteem of his pa- 
trons as much as the minister, being often 
consulted in matters quite foreign to his pro- 
fession, so high is the estimation in which he 
IS held. In such jjlaces, from his intimate ac- 
quaintance with the person's temperament, 
and the traces of heredity apparent in him 



and furnishing an important clew to the suc- 
cessful treatment of the case, the family doc- 
tor is much more com])etent to treat the dis- 
ease than some physicians of note in large 
cities, who rarely see their patients outside of 
the consultation room, and know nothing of 
their ancestors or habits. 

Dr, Davis was born near New Castle, Law- 
rence County, Pennsylvania, and received his 
])rimar}- education at Browns, Savannah, and 
East Moravia schools. He next went to New 
Castle and took an extra course, after which 
he completed the state normal course at 
Edinboro, Pennsylvania. Having completed 
his studies, he engaged in teaching, being 
instructor in Wampum township. Pa., for two 
years, and teaching later in Shenango town- 
ship. In 1892 he became a medical student 
at the Western University of Pennsylvania, 
from which he was graduated in 1895. He 
immediately began the practice of his profes- 
sion at Princeton, Pennsylvania, remaining 
there one year during wdiich time he was ex- 
ceedingly successful, but was persuaded by 
some friends to locate in Lottsville, which he 
did in 1896. opening an office there. Al- 
though the doctor has followed his profession 
only a few years, he numbers a wide circle of 
patrons, who rely upon him to come to their 
succor in the time of disease and physical 
trouble. His pleasing, courteous manner and 
strict attention to his profession have gained 
the complete confidence of the people of Free- 
hold township, and by his success in relieving 
pain he has demonstrated his fitness for the 
calling which he has chosen. 

Dr. Davis is a son of James and Levinah 



190 



HOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



(Iddings) Davis, and a grandson of Joseph 
Davis, wlio was a native of Lawrence County. 
Pa., wliere lie followed tiie occupation of a 
fanner all liis life, rearin"- a large family, one 
of wliDUi was James, the father of the subject 
of this sketch. 

James Davis was born :u Edenl)urg, Law- 
rence County, reiuisvKania. He received a 
thorough mental training in the ])ublic 
scliools of his native county, after which he 
engaged in teaching school for several years, 
when he relinquished that work and pur- 
chased a farm — following agricultural ])ursuits 
the remainder of his life. Levinah Idtlings. a 
daughter of Joseph and Hannah Iddings, be- 
came his wife. Levinah was born, reared and 
educatetl in Lawrence County, where she was 
successfully engaged in teacliing school until 
her marriage. This worthy couple reared a 
family of eight children, viz.: Francis; Kate 
(Sage); James; Mary (Brown); Charles; Rob- 
ert; LlaiTy H. and Carrie. Charles is a well- 
known and successful physician of New Cas- 
tle, Pa.; Robert finds employment on the rail- 
road; Harry H. is the subject of this sketch; 
Carrie became Mrs. Ailey. 

Dr. Harry H. Davis was united in marriage 
with Sarah h'rew, a daughter of Joscjih and 
Rate (W'eller) Frew. Mrs. Da\-is, also, was an 
educational instructor before her marriage, 
having taught school for a period of four }ears. 
She was born at Princeton. Lawrence County, 
Pa., where she attended the public schools, 
completing her education, however, at Grove 
City College. The doctor and his accom- 
plished wife have their home brightened by 
one child, Keith, born at Lottsville Februarv 



25. 1897. Dr. Davis is a follower of the politi- 
cal destiny of the Repuldican partv, but is too 
busy a man to aspire to any otilicial position. 
He believes in the doctrines of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. His social relations are of 
the most ideasant nature, and few men stand 
higher in the estimation of their fellow-towns- 
men than does he. He is a vahiccl member of 
the K. O. T. M. 

/^TT^V C.\RLET0N IRVINE, a retired 
\Pj__ farmer of Warren, Pa., was born July 
26, 1823, in Towanda, Bradford 
County, Pa., and is a son of Andrew and Cath- 
arine (Mc.\ft'ee) Irvine, and a grandson of 
John Irvine, 

John Irvine, grandfather of Guy C, was a 
native of the North of Ireland ami, after reach- 
ing manhood, came to the L'nited States and 
settled in the extreme northern ])art of North- 
umberland County, Pa., about twenty miles 
from the city of Williamsport, arriving there 
shortl}' before the breaking out of the War of 
the Revolution. During his youth he had 
been a clerk in the British serxice. but had for 
some years followed farming as his cjccupa- 
tion. .\t the time of the Indian uprising in 
the vicinity of Xorthum1)crland County, the 
frunilies in that section were drixen from their 
homes and found refuge in the Cumberland 
\'alley, where they remained until the rex'olt 
was suppressed by the treaty which resulted in 
the last purchase of lands from the red men. 
John Ir\-ine married Mary Ann l-'ullerton and 
they reared two children: Andrew, father of 
our subject, Ciu_\- C: and Rosanna (Watt). 




OKRIS W. liEATV. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



193 



John Irvine passed to his final rest at the age 
of sixty-six years, and was survived by his 
widow for several years. 

The father of the subject of this review was 
born in Xortlunnljerland County. Pa., in 1793. 
At the age of eight years he was "bound out" 
to John Snyder, a tanner and currier, with 
whom he learned his trade as a tanner. After 
serving two years as a soldier in the War of 
1812, Mr. Irvine settled in Towanda, Brad- 
ford County, Pa., where he operated a tan- 
nery, engaged in the lumber business, and also 
managed a farm until i^y^- In 1833 he vis- 
ited Warren County, and in 1835, bought a 
tract of 400 acres of land in Glade township, 
which was a part of the original Jacob Hook 
patent. Upon this tract he built a home to 
which he removed his family after closing out 
his business in Bradford County in 1836. He 
cleared a fine farm and followed agricultural 
pursuits until his demise in 1853. Mr. Irvine 
married Catharine, a daughter of James Mc- 
Affee, of Northumberland County. His wife 
was born in 1795 and died in 1S65. To the 
couple were born six children as follows: 
Jane D.; Mary A.; Benjamin F.; Catharine 
(Parker); Guy C, the subject of this sketch; 
and Thomas J. Andrew Irvine had been ac- 
tive in politics as a Democrat while in Brad- 
ford County, where he w.'is cnunt_\- treasurer 
and county conunissioner, and .-dso held sev- 
eral minor oftices. 

His son, Guy C. Irvine, was reared on a 
farm, and he has mainly devoted his life to 
agriculture. lie remained on the old home- 
stead and still resides in the home which his 
father built in 1835. He retains a small part 



of the original farm, which is now within the 
borough limits of Warren. Mr. ir\ine is a 
gold Democrat in |)olitics. He is a member 
of North Star Podge No. 241. F. & A. M., 
of Warren. 



RRiS W. BE.\TV, whose connection 
with various business enterprises at 
Warren has l)rought him prominently 
into puldic notice in that section, is vice-presi- 
dent of the Warren Savings Bank. His por- 
trait is shown on the opposite page. He is a 
.son of David and .\bigail (Mead) Beaty. anil 
was born near Warren, Warren Countv. Pa., 
.\pril 27, 1845. 

He comes of Scotch ancestry, being a great- 
grandson of one William Beaty, who left his 
native home in Scotland and came to America, 
locating at Newburgh on the Hudson River, 
in New York State. He subsequently re- 
moved to Beaver County, Pa., in 1808. He 
was the progenitor of a family of three sons 
and four daughters, one of whom was \\'illiam. 
Jr., the grandfather of our subject. William 
Beaty, Jr.. was born in Newburgh. N. Y., in 
17^14, and upon reaching maturity followed 
the occupation of a farmer. He subsequently 
moved to Beaver County, Pa., where he lived 
until his death, June 5. 1858. He served in the 
army (hu-ing the War of 1812, and was sta- 
tionetl at iM'ie, Pa. He was joined in wedlock 
with Mary Clark, a daughter of David Clark, 
who was of Irish birth. She died in the year 
1868. Their union resulted in the birth of 
thirteen children, the sixth of whom was David 
Beaty, the father of the gentleman whose 



194 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



name heads these lines. Both Mr. and Mrs. 
William Beaty. Jr., were inclined to the Pres- 
Interian faith in their religions attachments, 
rolitically, he was a stnrdy Democrat of the 
oUl school. 

David Beaty was born in Beaver County, 
Pa., October 26, 181 1, and resided there until 
he was nineteen years of age, when he made 
his way to Chautau(|ua County. N. ^'.. where 
he worked u])(in a farm for a period of four 
years. He then went to Tionesta, Forest 
County, Pa., then a i)ortion of Warren 
Count}-, and fi)r the following tive }'ears en- 
gaged in lumbering in the extensive forests in 
that locality. He later went to \\'est Hickory, 
near Tidioute, where he successfully engaged 
in farming in connection with lumbering. 
Shortly after the oil excitement had its begin- 
ning, lie began his operations in petroleum on 
Oil Creek, eight miles south of Titusville, and 
realized his fondest hopes, for his l)usiness was 
extended from time to time and assumed vast 
j)roportions. He continued in that business 
for many \ears, and in 1873 removed to War- 
ren, where he had erected a handsome home, 
and resided there until his death, in October, 
1889. Thus we have followed the progress of 
a man who, when a boy of nineteen years, left 
his home with but $1.75 in his ])Ocket, and 
gradually, by dint of hard work and shrewd 
business moves, worked his way to a position 
of prominence. He became a large land own- 
er, accjuiring over 500 acres in Warren Coun- 
ty, and a tract of 4,000 acres in Dakota. Mr. 
Beaty was united in matrimonial bonds with 
Abigail Mead, a daughter of Jo.sepli Mead, and 
they had three children, namely: David W., 



a record of whose life appears elsewhere in this 
Hook of Biographies; Orris W., the subject of 
this personal history; and .Albert B., who died 
September 20. 1851. Politically, Mr. Beaty 
was aftiliated with the Democratic party, 
w hilst in religious views he was a Presbyterian. 
Orris W. Beaty, upon growing to manhood, 
became associated with his father in the pro- 
duction of oil tluring the most acti\'e part of 
the latter's career, and he also engaged in lum- 
bering. He removed to \\'arren in 1880, 
where he has built a fine residence, and has 
since been connected with man\' business en- 
terprises. Since 1889 he has served efficiently 
as vice-president of the Warren Savings Bank. 
He is widely known throughout the county. 
and numbers his friends almost by his acquain- 
tances. In 1873 he was united in marriage 
with Ella W. Smith, a lady of many estimable 
traits of character. Socially he is a Mason and 
belongs to blue lodge aiul commandery of 
Warren, Pa., and consistory (thirty-second de- 
gree) of Pittsburg, Pa. 



f^OHX I)ER\'IX, foreman of the Penn 
Tanning Company of Stoneham, Pa., 
and to-day the only man on the pay- 
roll of a once thriving tannery, is one of the 
uKist popular men in Stoneham, W'arren 
Count V, I 'a. He has long Ijeen connected 
with taiming interests and has become thor- 
oughly competent to take charge of any posi- 
tion connected with the business. He was 
born in County Roscommon, Ireland, near 
MoutU Talbot, May 8, 1844, and is a son of 
Martin and Catherine (Burns) Dervin. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



195 



Martin Dervin never came to America and 
died at the age of fifty-fonr. His wife came 
to tills country and remained here nntil her 
death, wiiich occurred at tlie a,i;e of iifty-six. 
Six cliildren resulted from this union, as fol- 
lows: Matthew, deceased; Luke, deceased; 
Michael, living in New York City; John, the 
subject of this biography; Bridget, deceased, 
who married J. K. McKinney; and ^lary, the 
wife of J. Mulherring. 

In 1S53, at the age of nine years, John 
Dervin came to America with his mother and 
located in Ei|uinunk, Wayne County, I'a.. 
where he attended the public schools until the 
age of fourteen. He then began driving 
horses in the lannerv vards, and from that 
time steadily advanced in the business, serv- 
ing in every department, and thus becoming 
a \ery reliable and practical tamier. In 1868 
he went to Shcflield to work in the Horton & 
Crecr_\' tannery, and in 1873 went to Stone- 
ham. In 1890 he was promoted to the re- 
sponsible position of foreman and has held 
this position ever since. This tannery was 
built in 1867 by I.eroy Stone and J. K. Palm- 
er, the contractor being T. H. Bines. The 
conntr_\- was then a wilderness and very heav- 
ily timbered, there being very few farms. 
Later the tannery was enlarged to its present 
capacity of 200 hides per da)-, the company 
having always tanned dry hides. Employ- 
ment is given to between tifty and sixty 
hands, not counting the woodmen. The first 
firm was succeeded by J. K. Palmer & Co., 
later by John Hill iK; Co.; Palmer, White & 
Co., and the Stonchani Tannery Co., which 
was composed of the following men: W. 



White, J. E. W^heeler, C. Schimmelfeng 
and T. II. Mines. In 188S this firm was suc- 
ceeded by C. Sciiimmelfeng «& Co., who sold 
to the Penn Tanning Co., or U. S. Tanning 
Co., in 1897. The factory has since been shut 
down, but is in splendid condition. ?vlr. Der- 
vin has cliarge of everything in its connection 
at ]5resent. 

Mr. Dervin married Mary A. McDermott, 
a daughter of James McDermott, of Wayne 
Couiitv. I 'a., a \ery ])roniinent farmer in that 
section. Six children have resulted from this 
uninn, naiiiel}-: Two infant sons, deceased; 
Martin; Mary Catherine; Anne, and John. 
Our subject is a .stanch Democrat in politics 
and a member of the Catholic Church. He is 
also a member of the C. M. B. A. orders. Mr. 
Dervin is highly respected in the county, and 
to his employers has always given the greatest 
satisfaction, as can be seen by his steady ad- 
vancemenl in the business. 




NDREW J. DEMING, postmaster and 
Liprietor of a general store in West 
Spring Creek, Warren County, Pa., 
conies from one of the oldest families in the 
state and is a man who is well known 
throughdut the C( unity. He is liighlv re- 
spected by everyone and takes an acti\e in- 
terest in all afl'airs of the town. He was born 
December 25, 1844, in Stead, N. Y., and 
is a son of Josiah aiul Asenath (Mudge) Dem- 
ing. 

Josiah Deming's father was a native of 
Connecticut and Josiah. who was born in 
.\nisterdaiii, X. \'., Xo\einber 17, 1791, re- 



B(JOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



ceived his education in that state. He fol- 
lowed farniini; in rnadilla, Otsego County, 
N. v.. and in l*'cl)ruarv, 1S38, he migrated to 
Spring trcok and purchased 149 acres of 
land, that is now the town site of West Spring 
Creek. When he reached Spring Creek there 
was no village and hut three houses in the 
\-icinity. hut, heing ;ui energetic man and full 
of enterprise, he divided the land iiUo town 
lots, and in this way founded the village of 
W'est Spring Creek. P>y 'occupation Air. 
Deming was a gunsmith. He huilt a saw and 
grist mill. He also huilt the first hotel, and it 
was through his energy that the Union 
Church was erected. His active business life 
was contimied niuil 1866, when lie resigned 
his interests to h.is sons. During his later 
life he was jiostmaster for eight years anti 
also town auditor. In early life he voted 
with the Democratic party, hut joined the Re- 
puhlican ])arty on its organization and con- 
tinued to vote that ticket until his death. He 
was a Congregationalist and a trustee for that 
church diu'ing sexeral \'ears. Mr. Deming 
was always ])roud of the fact that of his ances- 
tors there were seven brothers from one fam- 
ily who look ]iart sinniltane<5uslv in the Revo- 
lutionary War. He was a member of the F. 
i<; A. M. and a charter member of the Colum- 
bus Lodge during the famous Morgan Raid. 
Mr. Deming dei)arted this life, at the 
age of se\enty-nine \ears, on jiuuiarv 
8, 1 87 1, .and his death was much 
mourned througlujut the section, for he 
was one of the most ])r(nninent and 
active men in his daw He married .\se- 
nath AIudt;e and thev reared ten children, as 



follows: K. L., deceased; Julia .'\., deceased, 
formerly Mrs. Presho, of New Lyme, Ohio; 
William H., of Erie, Pa.; Sarah Eliza, now 
Mrs. Mather, of Colorado; Euphemia J., de- 
ceased, formerly .Mrs. Morrison, of Warren, 
Pa.; Loton L., of Polk County, .\rk.; Josiah 
O., of Spring Creek township. Pa.; Frances 
J., deceased, formerly Mrs. Thompson, of 
I^olk County, Ark.; Mary A., wife of Mr. 
Donaldson, of Erie, Pa.; and the subject 
hereof, .Andrew J. 

.\ndrew J. Deming, the subject of this 
sketch, received his elementary education iti 
Waterford, X. Y., and, after leaving school, 
took up farming and lumbering on his father's 
place, working also on the river in his father's 
interest for ten years. When the war broke 
out he enlisted, .April 20, 1861, in Comjiany 
D, 1st Pa. "Bucktails" (13th Reg. Penn. \'. R. 
C). as first sergeant and remained with that 
company until the exinration of his enlist- 
ment, in June, 1864. When the company re- 
organized, under the name of Company D, 
190th Reg. Pa. V. i\. C, Mr. Deming re- 
enlisted and remained with the company until 
the close of the war, being mustered out at 
Harrisbiu'g, June 4. 1865. He took part in 
almost e\ery engagement of importance 
fought !)}• the eastern forces during the war, 
besides being in numerous skirmisiies. The 
battles in which he participated were: Antie- 
tam; h'redericksburg; Gettysburg; Siege of 
Petersburg; Dranesville; Mechanicsville; 
(jaines Mill; 2nd Bull Run; South Mountain; 
Mine Run: The Wilderness; Spottsylvania 
Court flouse: North Ami Rix'cr: Eethesda; 
Cold Harbor; Weldon Railroad. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



197 



He received a gunshot in the right arm and 
a grapeshot wonnd at Fredericksburg. Mr. 
Demiug was the t'irst man Id enhst in liis na- 
tive township, and iiis army record was a 
clean and lionorahle one. I ic was twice made 
prisoner, lieing tirsl captured at Mechanics- 
ville. \'a.. Jmie 27, iSru, with liis company. 
After his release he was again cajitured Au- 
gust 19, 1863, at Weldon Railroad, this time 
with the whole regiment, and was a prisoner 
for seven months at Richmond. Belle Isle, and 
Salisbury, N. C. 

Mr. Deming. after his return from the war, 
in com]iany with his brother, operated a grist 
and saw mill and later moved to Erie. Pa., 
where they conducted a planing and saw mill 
for a number of years. He then returned to 
Spring Creek and bought a farm in that town- 
ship, which is to-day one of the best-appoint- 
ed farms in the state. In 1896 he bought 
and took charge of his present store, and. in 
addition, has acted as postmaster of the vil- 
lage. All his life he has been an ardent sup- 
porter of the Republican cause and is an 
active worker in the township politics. He 
has held the offices of county auditor, con- 
stable, town clerk (for twelve years) and 
school director. Mr. Deming is a trustee of 
the Congregational Church. He is a member 
of the F. & A. M. and of J. W. Baker Post. 
No. 670, G. A. R. He receives a pension for 
his services during the war. 

Mr. Deming married, on December 23, 
1872, Sarah E, Tucker, a daughter of George 
and Catherine (Brown) Tucker. She was 
born at Sparta. N. Y., in 1850, received her 
education in that town and afterwards taught 
school until her marriage. Tliey are the par- 



ents of three children — George E., Miriam 
A. and hrank 1\. (ieorge E., who is princi- 
l);d nf the sclmols at l.udlow. Pa., was born in 
March, 1S74: Miriam .\. was born in May, 
1876, educated in the district schools, and 
later taught for several years; Frank R. was 
born in August, 1881, and became a student 
of Sewickley College. Mr. Deming has a 
wide circle of friends in the community and 
is known as an upright, conscientious citizen. 




iKS. ELIZABETH OUIXX. widow 
of the late John Ouinn, is a worthy 
and charitable lady of Stoneham, 
Mead township, Warren County, Pa., where 
she occupies a handsome residence with 
every modern convenience. She is a daugh- 
ter of Lawrence Baldensperger, one of the 
first settlers of what is now called Stoneham. 
Our suliject was the eldest of a family of eight 
children. She was united in marriage with 
John Ouinn. 

John Ouinn was a native of New York 
State and was a teamster by occupation, go- 
ing to Stoneham in 1865, About that time 
he engaged in the lumber business, which he 
practically followed the remainder of his life. 
He was not only a lover of fine horses, but 
also a s[ilcndid horseman. His wife received 
a portion of her father's farm in 1883, on 
about one acre of which ]\Ir. Quinn built the 
present large and handsome cottage, where 
our subject now resides in Stoneham. The 
residence is supplied throughout with natural 
gas, which is abundant in that vicinity. ^Ir. 
Ouinn was taken ill and died, after a short 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



illness, in 1897, at the age of fifty-three years, 
having spent an active and useful life. His 
family and a large circle of friends sincerely 
mourned his death. Five children l)lessed 
their union, namely: Henry J., who is in- 
terested in the oil fields of Ohio; George \V., 
who resides at home, and is interested in the 
oil fields in that vicinity; Xettie May. de- 
ceased; Albert, also deceased, and Lawrence 
J., diligently engaged in securing an educa- 
tion. 

Lawrence Baldenspcrger, father of our sub- 
ject, was born in Alsace, Germany, and re- 
ceived his schooling there, also learning the 
weaver's trade. \\'hile still a young man he 
came to America to seek his fortune and drift- 
ed to \Varren County, Pa. Xot finding em- 
ployment at his trade, he turned his attention 
to farming, being in the employ of Guy Irvine 
for many years. After this he was enabled to 
I)urc!iase some land of his own. land being 
very cheap at that time. After purchasing 
120 acres he proceeded to improve it. The 
same farm is now owned liy his daughter-in- 
law, Mrs. William Baldensperger. 

Mr. Baldensperger first built a log cal)in. 
where he took his bride to live. She was a 
Miss Elizabeth Laffur; Elizabeth was also a 
native of Alsace, Germany, and was acquaint- 
ed with Mr. Baldensperger in Germany. Their 
future was probably planned before she left 
for America alone, and she was united in 
marriage with Mr. Baldensperger soon after 
her arrival in Warren, Pa. She accompanied 
her husband to the log cabin prepared for her 
as happy as any bride could be, and there they 
worked in unison. She assisted him in many 



of his hardships until they at last obtained a 
start which led to prosperity. They started 
with little or nothing, but energy and a de- 
termined will, and at the time of their death 
were quite well-to-do. Tliey cleared the land 
by burning many of the gigantic trees. After 
clearing a portion they began to cultivate it, 
and what things they could not raise were ob- 
tained by making shingles and selling them. 
Thus they added to their store of savings, 
little by little, and in course of time reared 
and educated eight children. \\'hen they set- 
tled there, only two or three settlers bore them 
company in that part of the township. There 
were no roads, but merely trails through the 
woods. This, however, was no serious hin- 
drance to them, as they were perfectly de- 
voted to each other, and their only aim was 
to have a pleasant home and rear a family 
to care for them in their last days. \\'hen 
their first few years of hardships were over 
they prospered continually, and, after accu- 
mulating a competency, they set about im- 
proving and beautifying their home, building 
large and commodious barns and other build- 
ings, which still distinguish the place, and 
also setting out orchards of the choicest selec- 
tions of fruit. They spent useful lives, quite 
worthy of imitation. 

Mr. Baldensperger died in 1891, at the age 
of sixty-five years, being quite healthy and 
active until his last illness, which was pneu- 
monia. His companion preceded him during 
the same year, at the age of sixty, and from 
the same cause — pneumonia. Their children 
were: Elizabeth, the subject of this sketch; 
Mary, wife of John Logan, of Wilcox; Louise, 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



who died young; W^illiam, who married Carrie 
Shurk and is now deceased, liis widow resid- 
ins^ in Xnrth Clarendon; Louise, second of 
that name, now the wife ui John Bines, of 
Stonchani; Alliert. whose first wife was Annie 
Cunningham and wliose second wife was Suie 
Groves, — Alhert hves on a part of tlie home- 
stead farm adjoining tlie liome of our subject 
(lie is an oil producer and owns a handsome 
new house and barns); Samuel, who married 
Minnie Cramer, of Pittsburg; and Lorena, 
who became tlie wife of John Cramer, and 
now resides in Sistersville, W. \'a. 

During the life of the father of our suli- 
ject oil was discovered, about the year 
1878, on his farm. He leased the ground for 
the purpose of developing the oil industry, 
and up to the present date tiiree good, pro- 
ducing wells have l)een drilled and are now 
in successful operation. As before mentioned, 
natural gas is also abundant in that \icinity. 




^. 



R. CHARLES KEMBLE, senior 
member of the wholesale and retail 
drug iiouse of Ciiarles Kemble & 
Son, has the distinction of being the \ery best 
physician and surgeon in Tidioute, and enjoys 
the largest practice in Warren County. He 
is a very popular man. and his friends are 
happy over the fact that his skill and learn- 
ing should be so widely recognized. 

Dr. Kemble was born in Trumbull County. 
Ohio, near Canton, August 4, 1831, and is a 
son of William W. Kemble. who was born, 
reared, and educated near London, England, 
and came to America while yet a single man. 



He settled in Crawford County. Pennsylvania, 
wliere he followed agiMcultural ])ursuits. 
There it was th;it he met. courted, and mar- 
ried Kachel 1 lart. formerh' of York, Pa. After 
their marriage the young couple moved to 
Trumbull County, Ohio, thence to Beaver 
County, Pa., where Mr. Kemble's death oc- 
curretl at the premature age of forty years. 
His companion survived him until she at- 
tained tlie age of sixty years. The death of 
her husband dexolved upon her the care of 
rearing their children — two sons and two 
daughters: William W. Jr.; Julia Ann. who 
became the wife of Smith Wyman, and is 
now deceased; Mary Ann, who became the 
wife of H. H. Evans, of Tidioute. Pa., and 
Charles, the subject of this sketch. 

Dr. Kemble obtained a fine school educa- 
tion, and is indeed a polished scholar. He 
chose to l)ecome a member of the medical 
profession, for his life work. After reading 
medicine faithfully for some time with Dr. 
W. S. Bates of Crawford County, he entered 
the Cleveland Medical College, from which 
he was graduated with honors in 1858. He 
immediately began the practice of his pro- 
fession, which lie has continued up to the 
present time, principally at Tidioute, Pa. The 
doctor has alwa_\s been a great student, and 
has kept al^rcast of the times in medical 
science. To familiarize himself thoroughly 
with the advantages of modern methods over 
the old ones, he again entered the medical 
college in the fall of 1887, and in April. 1888. 
gratluated as phxsician and surgeon from the 
Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia. 

In 1871 Dr. Kemble's health gave way 



200 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



under the strain of work in attending; to his 
iMKirnidus |)raclice, and, rcalizins;' that some- 
thing; must be done hefore his health sliould 
heeome too seriousl\- im|)aire(K lie opened a 
drui; slciix' and eneouras^ed ofliee praetice— ■ 
seeking- to obviate tlie long, weary drives, full 
of exposure. This plan did not, however, les- 
sen his practice to any great extent, as he 
found it liard to refuse to attend old-time 
friends and jiatrons, who had learned to place 
iiujilicit confidence in his ability. Two vcars 
later, in 1873. he purchased the large and 
eonuuodious drug store of liollard Bros., and 
soon afterward admitted his son, William W., 
as partner. They have one of the largest 
drug stores in that section of the state, be- 
sides which they carry a fancy line of toilet 
articles and choice novelties that are very at- 
tractive and desirable. In addition to all this. 
Dr. Kenible is a taxidermist of much note. 
He learned this art during his young-er days, 
and his knowledge has been transmitted to 
his son, who, also, has received the benefit of 
his father's ex])erience. One show window, 
besides other parts of their store, contains a 
great variety of splendid s])ecimens, ranging 
in size from the bald eagle down to the di- 
minutive humming bird; from the nimble deer 
that roam over the mountains, down to the 
siuallcst anim.-il. All these birds and animals 
were cured, stuffed, and mounted bv the doc- 
tor and his sons, and show remarkable skill 
and fine w orkni.'uishi]). 

In i<S()i Dr. Kenible built a residence on 
Main street, which he occupied iuv a number 
of years, but finally sold it, and it is now 
owned by C. Linholm. In 1872 he built a 



seconfl time, erecting a fine, large, modern 
residence on the corner of Jefferson and Wal- 
nut streets. This residence is his present 
abode; it contains e\ery modern cosenience, 
and is surrounded by beautiful lawns and 
many rare shade and ornamental trees. 

Miss Sophia Gilbert, a charming and ac- 
C(ini])lished daughter of Conrad Ciilbert, of 
Randolph township, Crawford County, Pa., 
became the doctor's wife, and has shared his 
joys and sorrows. Four children — two sons 
and two daughters — blessed this most happy 
union, and tjf them their parents are justly 
]iroud. These are William Wayne, Estella L., 
Lillian H., and Charles C. William Wayne, 
junior member of the drug firm, is now serv- 
ing his second term as tax collector for the 
borough, and is one of the most popular 
voung lousiness men in Tidioute. 1 le married 
Kate Kennedy of Oil City, Ta. Estella L. is 
a classical artist, who excels in china painting, 
and is still the comfort of her parents at home. 
Lillian M. is the wife of Edward C. Gardner, 
a competent bookkeeper of Tidioute. Two 
children enliven their home — Charles E. and 
Robert W. Charles C. is the youngest child; 
he is ra|)i(lly succeeding to his father's ])rac- 
tice, and is rendering able assistance to that 
parent. He graduated at the JefYerson Medi- 
cal College of rhiladel]jhia in 1897. and is 
still unmarried. 

It has been the height of our subject's am- 
bition to have his sons succeed hini. ami thus 
sustain the honored reinitation which he has 
gained during his successful career, nor lia\-e 
they disappointed his fond and cherished 
hopes; they have, on the contrar}', accepted 



y^" 





FRANK X. KREITLER. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



203 



with pleasure the places prepared for them by 
their father, and thus fulfilled his earnest de- 
sires — permitting him to look forward to an 
early retirement and to the enjoyment of the 
fruits of a well-spent life. William W. is one 
of the most capable pharmacists and drug- 
gists in northwestern Pennsylvania. Charles 
C. has not only built up a reputation of his 
own, which, for his age, is second to none in 
the profession, but has largely assisted his 
father in attending to his calls, whereby the 
latter is enabled to obtain much-needed rest. 
Dr. Kemble and his wife are faithful mem- 
bers of the M. E. Church. The doctor has 
served in the official capacity of trustee, stew- 
ard, etc. He is a mcml)er of the Warren 
County Medical Society, and a life member of 
the Alumni association of Jefferson Medical 
College. 



FRANK X. KREITLER. The life of 
this gentleman, whose portrait is 
shown on the opposite page, presents 
a wonderfully active career and a succession of 
remarkable business successes. At the present 
time he is a member of the firm of Collins & 
Kreitler of Nebraska, Forest County, who are 
engaged in the lumber business, and he owns 
extensive interests in timber land in various 
counties in the state of Pennsylvania. 

IMr. Ivreitler was born in the Grand Duchy 
of Baden, Germany, in 1842, and received his 
education in the common schools of that coun- 
try. When he attained the age of seventeen 
years he came to America, landing in New 
York City in 1859, and settled at once 



in New Rochelle, N. Y. He could not speak 
a word of English at the time and it was very 
difficult for him to get a position. He learned 
the trade of a barber, but as he was converted 
and joined the Methodist Episcopal Church 
soon after his arrival in this country, he re- 
fused to work on Sundays. For this reason he 
was unable to obtain a good position, but he 
remained there until 1863, when, through the 
influence of Captain Means, he went to Brook- 
ville, Pa., and engaged at his trade there. In 
the fall of 1864 he enlisted in Company B, 
2iith Reg., Pa. Vol. Inf., and fought with it 
until the close of the war. He took part in the 
fight at Fort Stedman, his regiment being one 
of the first to enter when the fort was retaken, 
it having once been captured by the Rebels. 
He participated in many skirmishes, and at the 
close of the struggle received an honorable 
discharge. He then returned to his trade at 
Brookville, and by the practice of economy 
saved money, which he invested in timber 
lands in Presque Isle, Alcona and Lake coun- 
ties, Michigan. He first made a visit to the 
place and inspected the tract with a friend. E. 
H. Darrah, Esq., which took in all a period of 
three months. At that time they went deep 
into the forest and for two weeks at a time 
would not see another human face. He bought 
2,000 acres of fine pine timber land, which he 
held for twelve years, and then sold to Alger 
& Company, the- present secretary of war be- 
ing a member of the firm, and realized hand- 
somely on the investment. In the meantime 
he had continued in the barber business at 
Brookville, and, after selling his Michigan 
land, purchased tracts in Polk and Snyder 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



townships, Jefferson County, also large tracts 
in I-'orest and Elk counties in iHcSo. In ])art- 
nership with Mr. Darrah and others he also 
bought 8,000 acres in West Virginia. In 1884, 
having a large amount of cherry ;ni(l ash tim- 
ber, he began the manufacture of lumber. In 
1883 he felt that he was delicient in the mat- 
ter of education and consequently took a spe- 
cial business course at Duff's Business College 
in Pittsburg. In 1886 he disposed of his bar- 
ber business at Brookville, and, as an opportu- 
nity presented itself, purchased an interest in 
the Collins mill, and at once took an active 
part in its management. He has charge of the 
store and grist mill at Nebraska and at the 
same time superintends the operations of the 
saw mill. In 1894, in partnership with Mr. Col- 
lins and Mr. Dickey, he bought a large tract 
of land, some 2,000 acres, in Warren County, 
of Mrs. L. F. Watson of Warren, Pa. They 
have erected a splendid band saw mill and own 
the town of Mayburg, including the hotel, rail- 
road and waterworks, and the mill has a capac- 
ity of 70,000 feet per day. Mr. Kreitler also 
acts as buyer for the two mills. He was an or- 
ganizer and is a stockholder and director of 
the National Bank of Brookville; a stockhold- 
er of the Citizens' National Bank of Tionesta; 
stockholder in the Brookville Electric Plant; 
a stockholder in the Brookville Wagon Fac- 
tory; and owns a fourth interest in the Brook- 
ville Furniture Factory. He is a supporter of 
the Republican party and has held township 
offices. In religious views he is a Methodist. 
Socially, he is a member of Jefferson Lodge 
and Brookville Chapter, F. & A. M., and also 
G. .\. R. Post, No. 242, of Brookville, Pa. Mr. 



Kreitler is a genial and entertaining gentle- 
man and ])ossesses the good will and respect 
of all with whom he is accjuainted. 




LBERT PAGE JONES. Among the 
food citizens of Sheffield, Warren 
County, Pa., especially those who 
have been instrumental in developing the oil 
industry — which is the life of the Thirty-sev- 
enth Judicial District — the name of A. P. 
Jones must not be overlooked. Mr. Jones, be- 
sides being a very prominent resident of Shef- 
field, is a stockholder of the Martin Oil Com- 
pany, oil producers of Martin Station, Warren 
County, Pa. This company was formed in 
1890, and comprises Messrs. Jones, Slater, 
White and Weidert. They own t,t, oil pro- 
ducing wells, now in successful operation. 
These wells possess a decided advantage o\er 
many; the oil produced is not only of the very 
best quality, but is produced in such large 
quantities that the wells are exceptionally 
valuable. This crude oil is all sold to John 
Ellis, who operates a refining plant, and by 
him it is manufactured into various market 
products. 

Mr. Jones is a native of Tunljridge, Orange 
County, Vermont, and is a son of James H. 
Jones, who was in his day one of the most 
prominent farmers of the Green Mountain 
State. Our subject was reared upon his fath- 
er's farm and received a good, practical edu- 
cation in the district schools of his native 
county. Starting out for hiinself, in 1871, he 
located at Pit Hole, Venango County, Pa., 
where he found employment in connection 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



206 



with the oil wells. This was during the early 
history of crude oil. Fie next became an oil 
producer there, but after a short time sold his 
interest, and invested his money in wells at 
Pleasant\-ille, Ijccoming subsc(iuently inter- 
ested, also, in wells both in Clarion and AIc- 
Kean counties. In 1890, he disposed of his 
interests in all these places, and again entered 
into the oil protlucing business, this time at 
Martin Station, where he became a member 
of the Martin Oil Company, already men- 
tioned in this article. 

Although the business of the hrm is carried 
on at Martin Station, Mr. Jones and family 
reside in Sheffield. In 1890 he purchased a 
handsome cottage known as "No. 10," built 
by Horton, Crary & Co. He has greatly im- 
proved this place both by remodeling and re- 
decorating the residence, and including all the 
modern conveniences and by Iniilding a hand- 
some and substantial barn, out buildings, etc. 
Mr. Jones is the owner of a handsome turn- 
out, and has much use for it in going to and 
from his place of business, and among his oil 
wells when giving directions to his laborers. 
In jileasant weather he is often accompanied 
by his charming wife and little daughter, who 
enjoy the delightful drives as well as his agree- 
able company. His wife was Katherine Rob- 
erts, a daughter of Capt. C. "C. Roberts, Edin- 
boro. Pa. Three children have been born to 
them, but two sons were ruthlessly snatched 
away by the "Grim Reaper," one an infant 
still unnamed, the other who bore the name of 
Chester; Grace Alberta, the only surviving 
child, was born in Sheffield, June 12, 1891, and 
is the tlelight of her fond ijarents. 



The parents of Mr. Jones were Universal- 
ists; his wife's parents believed in the doctrines 
taught by the Old-School Presbyterians, and 
of this latter church Mr. Jones and family are 
members; l)ut they are liberal sujiporters of 
the M. E. Church in Sheffield, as that place 
contains no church of their chosen denomina- 
tion. 

The subject of our sketch is a valued meni- 
l)er, and past grand of Shefifield Lodge No. 
481. I. O. O. F.. and both he and Mrs. Jones 
are members of the Rebecca order. 



ENRY BOSS, a prosperous citizen of 
^^ Warren, Warren County, Pa., is en- 
aged in the wagon-making busi- 
ness, and his establishment is located on Wat- 
son avenue, of that borough. He is a son of 
Andrew and Mary (Aekenroat) Boss and was 
born in Lagesbeuttel, Hanover, Germany. 

Andrew Boss, the father of Henry, was also 
born at Lagesbeuttel, Germany, and attended 
the public schools of that country until he 
attained the age of fourteen years. Upon 
leaving school he hired out to farmers and was 
engaged in tilling the soil throughout his life. 
He was a natural mechanic, and in addition 
to farming he ingeniously turned his hand to 
making various articles for which there was a 
demand among his fellow farmers. He was 
united in marriage with Mary Aekenroat and 
their children were as follows: Dora, who 
married William Passinger; Catherine, the 
wife of H. Clausen; and Henry, to whom this 
writing pertains. They were adherents to the 
faith of the Lutheran Church. 



206 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Henry Boss attended tlie pnl)lic schools of 
his native town until he was fourteen years of 
age, which is a custom enforced by the laws 
of Germany. He was tiicn hired to work on 
a farm for one year, after which he learned 
the wagon-making trade, serving an appren- 
ticeship of four years at Autenvitte. During 
the following four years he continued as a 
journeyman at the same place, and then at the 
age of twent_\--three years, determined to seek 
a home in America. He sailed from Bremen 
on the ship Vestove, which was six weeks in 
its voyage to this country, landing at New 
York City. He proceeded at once by steamer 
to Albany, thence by canal to Mount Morris, 
N. Y., and from there went by foot to Alle- 
gany County. N. Y. Remaining there for a 
period of twenty-two months, he plied his 
trade as a wagon maker, and later moved to 
McKean County, Pa., where his employer had 
established a saw mill. He continued in that 
line of business for about sixteen months, 
when it was relinquished and with his em- 
ployer he returned to Allegany, where he re- 
sumed his trade. One year later, he removed 
to Auburn, Allegany County, N. Y., and after 
a stay of a few months, went to Belmont in 
the same count}', where he was employed for 
si.x months. He ne.xt spent fourteen weeks in 
Wellsville, N. Y., moving thence to Angelica, 
N. Y. Five months later, on the i ith of Feb- 
ruary, 1857, he removed to U'arren, \\'arren 
County, Pa., where he received employment 
at the wagon-making business. The man Ijy 
whom he was employed having run away, Mr. 
Boss bought out the business located on High 
street, and began work for himself. He soon 



after moved to a new shop which was located 
on \\'ater street, where he remained for about 
nine years. He then moved to his present 
place of business, whicii is situated on Watson 
avenue, and has been there since. Many years 
of experience have given him great skill at 
his trade, and having always possessed an a])- 
titude for business affairs, he has been very 
successful. He is one of the good, substantial 
citizens of W^arren, having been a resident of 
that place for more than forty-two years, and 
is highly respected by every one to whom he 
is known. 

On October 3, 1861, Mr. Boss married 
Mary W'eilder, a daughter of George W'eilder 
of Warren, and they had the following off- 
spring: Adel, deceased, born August 21, 
1862; William, deceased, born September 5, 
1869; and Lillian and Letta, twins. The lat- 
ter is deceased. Fraternally Henry Boss has 
Ijeen a member of the Knights of Honor for 
twenty years. Politically he is a stanch Pro- 
hibitionist, whilst in religious \iews he is a 
member of the Evangelical Church. 



§OHN M. SIEGFRIED. The Siegfrieds 
were among the earliest settlers of 
Northampton County, Pa., locating at 
Siegfried's Bridge, near .Mlentown. In 1850 
Daniel Siegfried and Daniel M. Siegfrietl, 
grandfather and father of the subject of this 
sketch, resolved to penetrate the wilderness, 
and, traveling o\erland across the mountains 
from the extreme east to the extreme west of 
the state, located in Mercer County, where 
they turned the forests into most productive 




GEORGE \V. SILL. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



209 



farms. It was there, at Delaware Grove, that 
John M. Siegfried was born August 20, 1855. 
Tiie father, wlio was a most excellent cabinet 
maker, finally tired of farm life and decided 
to remove his family to Greenville, where he 
could devote his ability to his real avocation 
and the better educate his family of boys. 

John AI. Siegfried received his preliminary 
education at the Greenville High School, and 
completed a preparatory course at Thiel Col- 
lege. At the age of fourteen years he entered 
the employ of H. N. Shrom, under whose 
tutelage he was carefully trained in the drug 
business. In 1875 he assumed the manage- 
ment of L. D. Davis" drug store at Franklin, 
Pa., in which position he continued until he 
eml)arked in business for himself at Bradford, 
Pa., in partnership with his brother, Henry, 

In 1876, while still at Franklin, he married 
Hannah Reeves, a daughter of Edwin N. 
Reeves of Franklin, and they have been 
blessed with two children: Cyrus R. and 
Alice H. 

In 1882, he purchased Mr. F. T. Hazel- 
tine's interests inVariety Hall, a drug and 
stationery store in Warren, and has since that 
time made his home at \\'arren. Mr. Siegfried 
has ever taken a deep interest in the upbuild- 
ing of \\' arren, and has lieen most active in the 
political and military at^'airs of the state. He 
has always l)een a stanch Democrat, and 
served as postmaster of Warren during Cleve- 
land's second administration. He was captain 
of Company I, i6th Reg., Pa. \'ol. Inf., and 
also served on Governor Pattison's staff. He 
is now lieutenant colonel of the 21st Regi- 
ment of Pennsylvania. 



John M. Siegfried is one of the prominent 
citizens of Warren, and a man of sound judg- 
ment; he is a director in two of the financial 
institutions — the Citizens' National Bank and 
the Conewango Building Loan Asso- 
ciation. He has for many years been an active 
worker in Masonic circles, and is a member of 
North Star Lodge and Occidental Chapter of 
Warren. He has a large circle of friends in the 
county, as he is always much interested in the 
successes of his fellow-townsmen. 



rLORGE W. SILL, the efficient pres- 
ident of the Warren & Chautauqua 
Gas Company, whose portrait ac- 
companies this biographical notice, is a well- 
to-do and highl}- respected citizen of Warren, 
Pennsylvania, where he received his scholastic 
training. At an early age he became inter- 
ested in the oil industry, and for a number of 
years has been e.\tensi\ely engaged in the pro- 
duction of oil. both in West Virginia and 
Pennsylvania fields. He is one of the charter 
members of the Warren & Chautauqua Gas 
Company, which was organized in 1S93. Mr. 
Sill is not only a stockholder of that company, 
but has been its president ever since its or- 
ganization. 

George W. Sill was born in Pleasant town- 
ship, Warren County, Pennsylvania, Septem- 
ber 4, 1845. ^I*-" '^ ''' **^" °f John and Afaria 
(White) Sill, and grandson of Nathaniel and 
Kezia (Payne) Sil. Nathaniel Sill was a na- 
tive of Lyme City, New London County, Con- 
necticut, where he was born, August 6. 1776. 



210 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



In early manhood he located in Black Rock, 
New York, where he was engaged in business, 
being a jirosperous commission merchant of 
that jilacc. In 1827, Mr. Sill renioN'od to War- 
ren County, I'ennsyKania. settling in i'leasant 
township, and followed agricultural pursuits 
and lumbering the remainder of his life, pass- 
ing peacefully away to his final rest at the ad- 
vanced age of eighty-one years. Both he and 
his wife were devout Christians, being mem- 
bers of the Presbyterian Church. 

Nathaniel Sill chose for his wife and life 
companion, Kezia Payne, an agreeable young 
lady. Their marriage occurred in the year 
1802. Kezia was born at Fort Miller, Wash- 
ington County, N. Y., March 4, 1783, and 
died at the age of seventy-eight years, hav- 
ing borne her husband the following eight 
children, three sons and five daughters: Henry 
E., who died at the age of twenty-nine years; 
Catherine P.; Mary, who was born July 5, 
1810, and became the wife of Robert Falconer; 
Nathaniel, who was born at Lyme, Connecti- 
cut, February 6, 1813. — he married Susan 
Farnsworlli of Warren, Pa.; Kezia P., who 
was born at Pdack Rock. N. Y., December 23. 
T815, and Ijccame the wife of Alson Rogers, 
of Warren, Pa.; John, father of the subject 
hereof; Maria Jane, who was born at Black 
Rock. N. Y., Noveml)er 29, 1819, and became 
the wife of A. Eldred in 1847; and Elizabeth, 
who was born at Black Rock, February 16, 
1822, and became the wife of Rasselas Brown, 
of Warren. Pa., — their m.arriage occurred Jan- 
uary 20, 1 84 r . 

John Sill, the father of George ^V., has been 
for the past few years practically a retired citi- 



zen of Warren. He was born at Black Rock, 
N. Y., September 19, 181 7. He accompanied 
his parents t(J Warren County, Pa., in 1827, 
and at an early age engaged in lumbering; in 
fact, he was reared and educated in the lumber 
industry, which furnished him occupation 
many years during the former ]>art of his life, 
as he was associated first with his father and 
later with his brother in that business. In 1854, 
Mr. Sill removed to Warren borough, and 
about 1875 he engaged in the insurance busi- 
ness. He established an ofiice in Warren, and 
handled general insurance. The business then 
started by him has been conducted the past 
few years by his son Fred, and has the reputa- 
tion of being the oldest insurance office in 
Warren County. During the early oil excite- 
ment, Mr. Sill became interested in the pro- 
ducing and refining of oil, and for some years 
was the owner of a small refinery on Oil Creek, 
which he operated very successfully. He is a 
firm lieliever in the principles of Democracy, 
and, during his younger days, served his party 
as county treasurer. On April 6, 1842. he was 
united in marriage with Maria White, a na- 
tive of Chautauqua County, New York. Their 
union was productive of the following five 
children, — two sons and three daughters: 
(jeorge W., the subject of this sketch; Kate, 
deceased: Fred E.: Anna M.; and Florence 
(Bell), also deceased. 

George W. Sill was joined in the holy 
bonds of wedlock with Augusta Hall, a favor- 
ite daughter of Orrie Hall, a respected and 
influential citizen of Warren, Pa. Their home 
is l)rightened by the presence of one son, Max 
H. Mr. Sill is a pleasant, agreeable gentle- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



211 



man, and stands high in tlie community in 
whicli lie Ii\es. He is ])opular and lias many 
progressive ideas, — being' intensely interested 
in any movement wliicli promises real benefit 
or improx'ement in his conimunitv, either so- 
cially or otherwise. In politics, he is inde- 
pendent. 




A. OV'IATT, one of the influential 
and prominent farmers of Eldred 
• township, Warren County, Pa., is a 
gentleman widely known throughout the 
countv, and commands the respect of all in the 
community. He is always actively interested 
in the afifairs of the township, and always will- 
ing to lend his support to any worthy cause. 
Mr. Oviatt was born in Eldred township in 
1850, and is a son of C. S. and Betsy (Hall) 
Oviatt. 

C. S. (3viatt, the father of our subject, was 
born in Steuben County, X. Y., where he at- 
tended the district schools. He followed 
farming until he moved to Eldred township, 
where he at first located at Cherry Tree. He 
remained at Cherry Tree until 1840, when he 
moved on what is now known as the old 
homestead. He bought 100 acres of unculti- 
vated land, and became one of the first settlers 
in the township, there being at that time but 
few residents in the district. The only way of 
getting cash then was by making shingles by 
band, and there being no roads, but onlv a 
s'cd path between Spring Creek and Titus- 
ville, the shingles were sold in Spring Creek, 
and after buying grain, the grain was hauled 
to a mil! in Titusville: after being ground, it 
was taken home, thus re(iuiring a trip of al- 



most forty miles in order to get flour, a fact 
which is hardly appreciated in these days. 
After clearing the land as soon as possible. 
Mr. Oviatt took up farming and lumbering, 
in the winter jobl)ing in timber for himself. 
He sold his farm, and later bought 100 acres 
more of land, to wdiich he gave all his atten- 
tion. He was married to Betsy Hall, and they 
reared ten children, namely: Jane (Carr); Juli- 
anna (Cole); Mary E. (Beach); Lafayette; A. 
Darius; S. A., the subject of this biography; 
C. Viola (Vanguilder); Jeannette (Dietrich); 
Celia (Allen); and Martha A. 

S. A. Oviatt attended the district schools, 
and afterward took up farming and lumber- 
ing, assisting his father until he was eighteen 
years old. He then worked for five years for 
dit¥erent people, three years, however, being 
spent with Jonathan Sheldon. In 1876, in 
partnership with his brother, he bought a farm 
of 130 acres, which, after clearing, they di- 
vided, and there Mr. Oviatt made his home. 
He planted an orchard, made many valuable 
impro\'ements on the land, and soon became 
a successful cattle raiser and dairyman. He 
married Mary P. Sheldon, a daughter of Jona- 
than and .Ann (Lytle) Sheldon. Jonathan 
Sheldon was a native of \'ermont and moved 
to Venango County in 1829, and later to War- 
ren County, in 1869. He was a successful 
lumberman, built many saw mills, and was a 
successful oil ])roducer. At present he lives 
on the farm with his son. Mr. and Mrs. 
Oviatt have lieen blessed with the following 
children: Edith L. : Eynn: Clenn; Elgie; Lav- 
ere and Iva. Edith I,, married Jackson Pierce, 
who is in the oil fields of West \'irginia. Thev 



212 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



have three children: Louie. Hugh and Dewey. 

'J"hc cliildren all attended the district schools. 
Mr. Oviatt and wife planned their present 
home, and it was erected in 1892. It is a very 
attractive hmiso. and the barns and well-kept 
land add much to its appearance. Mr. Oviatt 
is a silver Democrat, and has served as school 
director and commissioner. He is a member 
of the Patrons of Husbandrv. 




,ERRV D. CLARK, a successful and 
leading; member of the Warren Coun- 
ty Bar, was Ijorn in EUery. Chautau- 
qua County. New York. June 7, 1851. He 
is a son of James H. Clark, a native of 
Oneida County. New York, who was born in 
1817. 

The father of our subject was reared and 
educated to agricultural pursuits and followed 
that occupation during the active period of his 
life time. The greater jiart of his days have 
l)een spent in Chautauqua County, N. Y., and 
it was not until the fall of 1877 that he moved 
to Warren County. Pa., where he now lives, 
residing at Russell. Mr. Clark chose for his 
life-companion Mary A. Balcom. a native of 
New York State, and a daughter of one of 
the early settlers of Chautauqua County. She 
I)assc(l to her final rest in 1895 at the age of 
seventj'-seven years. The couple reared three 
children: two sons, Luke B., and Perry D., 
the subject of this sketch; and a daughter, 
Eveline J., who married Mr. Mason. 

After attending the district school at his 
birthplace the subject of our .sketch. Perry D. 
Clark, took a preparatory course at the For- 
estville. N. Y., Academv. after which he went 



to Cornell University, graduating in the class 
of 1877. He not only faithfully attended to 
his college studies while in Ithaca. N. "N'.. but 
he studied law. also, under the direction ol 
Hon. S. D. Halliday of that city, and three 
months after rccei\'ing his degree in philoso- 
ph_\' he was admitted to the practice of law in 
the state of New York. In October of the 
same year Mr. Clark removed to Warren and 
entered the law office of Brown & Stone, 
where he remained for eight months, when he 
was admitted to the practice of his profession 
in the courts of Warren County. September 2, 
1878. He immediately took up practice and 
since has been prominent at the bar. His 
practice is of general character, but he has 
made a specialty of legal practice in the Or- 
phans' Court. The settlement of many es- 
tates has been placed in his charge, and by 
his executive ability and his desire always to 
further the interests of heirs to estates, the 
properties placed in his control have increased 
in value while under his management rather 
than diminished, as is the case with many es- 
tates. Mr. Clark has a splendid office prac- 
tice and he is regarded as an expert in drawing 
wills, which he is often called upon to do. 

Our suliject entered into a matrimonial al- 
liance in 1879 with Lilie E. Schnur. daughter 
of John N. Schnur of Warren. To them have 
been born two children. Clara and Carl. 

An eiuhusiastic Democrat. Mr. Clark has 
twice been elected burgess of \\'arren. He was 
also elected a delegate to the proposed con- 
.stitutional convention in 1890, but as the prop- 
osition was voted down he was relieved from 
the arduous dutv. He is a member of Han- 




BENJAMIN FRANKLIN MORRIS. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



215 




over Lodge, No. 52. F. & A. M.; Eagle Chap- 
ter, R. A. M., of Ithaca, N. Y.; and Warren 
Conimandery. Knights Templar, of which he 
is a charter member. He is also, and has been 
for the past two years, vice-president of the 
First National Bank of Warren. 

ENJAMIX FRANKLIN MORRIS, 
the subject of the present sketch, a 
portrait of whom is presented on the 
opposite page, was born in Lyndon, Cattarau- 
gus County, N. Y.. March 2.2, 1829. He is 
a son of Arba and Lucy Goodwin (Johnson) 
Morris. Mr. Morris' parents were from Con- 
necticut. They were of a sturdy and long- 
lived race, the father dying at the age of 
eighty-three and the mother at ninety-three 
years. Eight sons and two daughters were 
the fruit of this union. Benjamin I'ranklin be- 
ing the fifth child. 

B. F. Morris receixed his early education in 
the public schools, Init his college was des- 
tined to be the world, for at the age of seven- 
teen he entered a printing-office and there- 
after for thirty-eight years he was an apostle 
of the "Art preservative of arts." Through 
want, through success, through good report 
and through evil report, he wendeil his way, 
until, in 1863, be came to Warren, Pa., and 
purchased the Warren Ledger. 

He now ceased t(i be a wanderer and be- 
came a fixture, and by his courage, his intel- 
lect and his all-powerful personality made it a 
newspaper in every sense of the term. Dur- 
ing his twenty-one years' ownership of the 
Ledger occurred what may be called the evo- 
lutionary period of the newspaper in America. 



Up to this time the paper was the man behind 
it; the New ^'()rk Tribune was Horace Gree- 
ley; the New York Times was Henry J. Ray- 
mond; the New York Herald was James Gor- 
don Ijcimett; and the Warren Ledger was 
B. F. Morris. 

When you ran your eye over these re]:)re- 
sentative journals you could rely on the hon- 
est}- and capacity of their famous editors to 
gi\e you an honest thought, not dictated by 
greed, nor by ])rejudice, nor by some sudden 
whim, but by a candid, unbought opinion on 
the great events, political and otherwise, that 
agitated the country. What do we find now? 
Great newspapers consisting mostly of power- 
ful machinery, and, of course, able men be- 
hind them. But what do these able men do? 
They write at dictation! They often write in 
a \cin directly opposite to what they really 
think, and so we have that gigantic humbug 
called "impersonal" journalism. All individu- 
ality ceases, aiid in its stead we have immense 
presses, with hundreds of horse-power scat- 
tering not what some honest, capal)le man 
thinks, but what the general manager has dic- 
tated to be written. And so the days of the 
Tribimes and the Ledgers have passed away, 
we are afraid, never more to return. 

In its sj)here the Warren Ledger was re- 
garded as almost without a superior among 
news]:)apers. All h;id a hearing, and oidy in 
ll'.is manner is truth to make its way. Its in- 
fluence was, of course, circumscribed; this was 
due entirely to the fact of its location. Had 
Mr. Morris in his youth driftetl to New York, 
Chicago, or any of the great centers of our 
countrv, success would have been certain, ami 



216 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



his fame and name would liave Ijcen as as- 
sured from ocean to ocean, as it is now con- 
fined to a narrower theater — merely, as we 
have said, Ijv tiie accident of location. 

Mr. Morris throughout all his wanderings 
and undertakings has been what may be called 
a fortunate man. This commenced in early 
life: and at its most imjiortant e]:)och. when 
at the age of twenty-three the kindly fates 
directed him in the path of a young lady en- 
gaged in the noble avocation of school teach- 
ing, and he married Miss Katharin Elizabeth 
Fleming-, a lady se\'eral years his jvmior. 

Never having had children of their own, 
they many years since were attracted by a 
human blossom. Katie Beatrice W'iswell, and 
gave her that place in their hearts which was. 
and is. to all intents and purposes, as parental 
a feeling as though she had been their own 
child. But alas! earthly joys are transitory. 
roses fade; and this innocent life, entwined 
and enshrinetl in the souls of her foster par- 
ents, passed away after a slu)rt i)erio(l of love 
and devotion, which was indeed reciprocal. 
and in the dream of years became only a fond 
recollection, a spiritual tie. l)rought daily to 
view by a most life-like and artistic oil jiaint- 
ing. a glowing tribute to a childish, innocent 
beauty, through the deft skill of the well- 
known ;n-tist, Mr. Greaves. 

Mr. Morris throughout his life has been 
a Jefifersonian Democr.-it. An honest i)oliti- 
cian, like an honest man. is surely the "no- 
blest work of God," and we know really of no 
greater want in "America to-day than "honest" 
politicians. Our form of government depends 
on political parties, and if these are honest 



then we have hopes of our future; if they are 
the opposite then history will repeat itself in 
our national life, as it has done in scores of 
nations who have gone before, and are now 
lost in oblivion. 

B. F. Morris has always been consulted by 
his party, and in 1876 was a presidential 
elector in the Thirty-seventh Congressional 
District of Pennsylvania. He has varied his 
retirement from newspaper work by engaging 
in several branches of business, and in the 
holding of considerable real estate, and in all 
these ventures he has in the main been very 
successful. 

During his long editorial career, had he 
been so inclined, had he stooped to base meth- 
ods, as the world goes, he might now be very 
rich; he might long ere this have been domi- 
ciled on the peak of affluence, but his scorn of 
mean ac(|uirings, his open-handed generosity 
in giving to those who asked and helping 
those who needed help, have curtailed his 
means to a sufficient competence, which con- 
dition must on retrospection give a man of 
his character more real satisfaction than to 
own all the diamonds ever dug by greedy men 
from the mines of Golconda. 



fOSEPH C. BOYD, a prominent stock 
farmer of Pleasant township. Warren 
County. Pa., is a highly respected citi- 
zen, and one of the most successful men of 
that section. He was liorn in Damascus town- 
ship. Wayne County, Pa., March 18, 1839, 
is a son of Capt. James and Nancy (Canfield) 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



217 



Boyd, and grandson of Jolin Boyd. 

Jolin Boyd was a descendant of tlie old 
Boyd family, who were amont;' the early set- 
tlers of Philadelphia. He was a sailor and 
met his death in the battle of Tripoli, in 1804. 
The name of his wife is not known, and the 
names of but two of his children have been 
preser\ed; the\- arc: ^largaret. who died in 
Philadelphia, and James, father of Joseph C. 

James Boyd was born in Philadelphia, and, 
to some extent, was educated there but gave 
up the pursuit of his studies while still a boy 
of eighteen years, went up the Delaware River 
with a Mr. Duftield, engaged in the lumbering 
business and followed rafting down that river 
for years. He served in the state militia as 
captain. After obtaining a little start he pur- 
chased a farm in the forests of Damascus 
township, \\'a\ne County, Pa. He cut away 
a small space in the forest and built a log 
house, to which home he brought his Ijride, 
Nancv Canfield. In this primitive abode they 
lived a happy life, prospered, cleared the land, 
and engaged in farming and lumbering. Mr. 
Boytl died at the early age of forty-five years 
and his wife at about fifty. They were both 
members of the Baptist Church. They reared 
a family of six children: Thomas Y.. who mar- 
ried Jane Mitchell: Helen, wife of Albert 
Mitchell; David C, who married Roxie Car- 
hart: Caroline, wife of William Eighmy; Jo- 
seph C, subject of this sketch: and John M.. 
who married I^izzie Goodenough. The farm 
formerly occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Boyd is 
now owned by George Sherred. 

Our subject has worked at lumbering since 
he was eighteen vears of age, leaving home at 



that time with only eighteen cents in his 
pocket. i\afting and lumbering occupied his 
attention uuinterru|)tedl\' for a period of 
twelve years; in the meantime he saved 
money to buy a farm of 130 acres. His farm 
was new land, |)rincipally heavy timlier, which 
supplied a fine lot of logs for the market. 
After clearing a portion of the land for culti- 
\'ation and rafting the lumber to market he 
built a substantial set of buildings upon it 
and sold the whole farm, in 1871, to William 
Highhouse, realizing a good margin of profit 
on his investment. 

After selling his farm Mr. Boyd moved to 
Warren County, Pa., where, the same year, he 
purchased 175 acres of land in Pleasant town- 
ship. This tract contained two farms, one 
of which was jnirchased of J. Lenhart, who 
had made some small imj)rovements, having 
built a log house and started to clear the 
ground. The old log house built by him was 
situated across the road from the present resi- 
dence of Mr. Bo)(l and was close by a beau- 
tiful spring, which is to this day the finest in 
the county, both as to quantity and quality 
of the water obtained from it. .■\fter Mr. Len- 
hart had sokl his farm to Mr. Boyd he went 
out West, but subsequently returned and was 
again attracted to his old home in order to 
once more drink from his favorite sjiring. 

The other farm, which formed a part of the 
tract purchased b\' Mr. Pxiyd, was owned by 
Max Hoag, and is directl\' adjoining the farm 
described abcne. .\ very singular occurrence 
took place on the Hoag farm years ago which 
caused much conmient in the newspapers, 
thus bringing the tract to the notice of the 



218 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



pul:)lic. A cliilcl which had l^een playing on 
tlie farm strayed into the thicket and was lost, 
being found only with the greatest difficulty 
after a three days" search. Strangely enough, 
the little one was still ali\'e and had not been 
harmed by the wild animals with which the 
forests abounded at that early date. Tradi- 
tion also sa_\-s that Max Hoag. from whom 
Mr. Boyd bought the farm, w'as afterward 
killed by the Indians on the Western frontier. 

Neitiicr of tlie two farms was cleared to any 
great extent when purchased by Mr. Boyd, 
and they still contain much hea\y timber, 
m.'iking a typical stock farm. Mr. Boyd, how- 
e\er, has not been idle, but has cleared some 
fine fields for niea(U)ws and pastures, and has 
also put out fine orchards of all kinds of fruits. 
He keeps 25 head of choice Holstein and 
Guernsey cattle, some of which register with 
tiie finest in the count}-. Tie has erected a 
handsome residence and built commodious 
liarns for liis stock and farming machinery. 

He was united in marriage with Louisa I. 
Strousc, a favorite ilaughter of ]uhn and Ann 
(Mills) Strouse. She has not only shared his 
])ast fortunes as :i faithful and lo\ing wife and 
mother, but has assisted her husband in many 
oi his early efiforts in their pioneer home. Her 
father, John Strouse, was a shoemaker by 
tr.'ide and a resident of Philadelphia, after- 
ward moving to Saugerties, Ulster County, 
X. ^'., where Louisa L was 1)orn, Marcii 16, 
1841. Her father was born in 1810, and died, 
as the result of an accident, in L'lster County, 
X. v., in 1845. at the age of thirty-five years. 
Though a young man at the time of his death, 
he had lived in many places. Her mother, a 



native of Portsmouth, England, was born 
February 28, 181 5, and died March 14, 1875, 
aged si.xty vears. Their children were as fol- 
lows: Mary L., now deceased; Joseph, also 
deceased; Louisa I., wife of the subject of this 
sketch: Jonas M.; John, and William. 

Joseph C. Boyd and his faithful wife were 
the parents of ten children, viz.: Eva Louisa, 
Stella A., Otis Everett, John M., Ervin E.. 
Myra O.. Alma Bell, Viola Alice, Willis C. 
and Jason C. Eva Louisa was born Septem- 
ber 17, 1862. She married Howard Tabor, of 
Gailton, Pa., and has borne him four chil- 
dren: Maud, Elva P., Joseph and Clara. 
Stella A. was born July 2/. 1864. She became 
the wife of Erank G. Schuler, of East Warren, 
and has three sons — Floyd, Freeman and 
Wallace. Otis Everett was bom November 
29, 1866, was married to Maud Rosibacker, 
and is now residing in Potter County, Pa. 
John M. was born November 2y, 1868, and 
died at the age of six years. Ervin E. was 
l)orn July 20, 1872. He resides on the home 
place with his father and carries on a success- 
ful business — farming and lumljering. Myra 
O., born September 2/, 1874, is the wife of 
Daniel Handmore, residing in Clarendon, Pa. 
Alma Bell was born July 2/. 1877; Viola Alice 
was born August 19, 1881 ; Willis C. was born 
November 16, 1884; and Jason C. was born 
June 27, 1886. 

Mr. Pioyd is a Democrat and is a veteran 
school director, having served his district in 
that capacity for a period of fourteen years. 
He is a fair examiile of a self-made man and 
enjoys the good will of a large circle of 
friends. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



219 



STIILTP BECKER. Prominent among 
llic successful farmers of Warren 
County, Pennsylvania, is Philip Beck- 
er, of Glade township. Since 1<S92 he has 
made his residence on one of his fine farms 
near Warren, where he is successfully en- 
gaged in genera! farming and fruit-growing. 
PI is homestead farm consists of 200 acres, 150 
acres of which arc in a high state of cultiva- 
tion. His orchards are planted with choice 
fruit trees, selected with great care, and yield- 
ing handsome returns. Mr. Becker has also 
l^een interested in oil wells, having operated 
as many as fifty wells of his own. He was 
born in Bavaria, Germany, March 19, 1841, 
and is a son of William Becker, and grandson 
of Adam Becker. 

Adam Becker led a very useful life, and 
had the distinction of being the mayor of his 
native town, Rammelsbacli, Germany, for sev- 
eral terms. He was born in 1765, spent the 
greater part of his life engaged in farming, 
and was a man of much prominence in his 
section. He died in 1850. His son William, 
father of our subject, was also born in Ram- 
melsbach, Germany, ii^ 1801, and received his 
education there, after which he assisted his 
fatlier in culti\ating' the farm until 1849, when 
he came to America. He landed in New 
York, but after a brief stay went to Syracuse, 
tiience to Montezuma, N. Y., thence to Clyde, 
W^^yne County, N. Y., thence to Oil Creek, 
Pa., and in 1882 arrived in Warren, Pa. 

He was joined in wedlock with Phillipene 
Snyder, a daughter of Daniel Snyder, and 
twelve children were the result of this union, 
most of whom are accounted for as follows: 



Phillipene (Barth), now resides in Rochester, 
.\'ew ^'ork; Elizabeth married a Mr. Kuhn; 
Katie, now- deceased, was the wife of Mr. Ohl; 
Carrie became the wife of Nathan G. Wil- 
liams; William is an oil-producer and farmer 
of Clarion County, Pa.; Philip is the subject 
of this sketcli; Jacob is a farmer of Ashtabula 
County, Ohio; and Charles resides at Titus- 
ville. Pa. 

Philij) Becker received his primary educa- 
tion in Germany, and wiien thirteen years ok! 
came alone to America to join his father. 
After completing his education in the schools 
of our country, he busied himself about the 
farm until 1861, when he entered the Union 
Army. On August 7, 1862, he enlisted in 
Company B, iiith Reg., New York Vols. 
After a very short time he was taken prisoner, 
while on picket duty, and sent to Alexandria, 
\'a., being afterward released and allowed to 
rejoin his regiment. He continued in the 
service throughout the entire war, enduring 
many hardships. His company was a portion 
of the Army of the Potomac, and took part 
in the battles at Harper's Ferry, Spottsyl- 
vania, and Cold Harbor, and in skirmishes 
innumerable. 

After receiving his discharge, June i, 1803, 
he went into the oil fields of Pennsylvania and 
engaged in operating oil wells on his own be- 
half. He drilled wells at Bull Run, and at dif- 
ferent times has owned about fifty good pay- 
ing wells. In 1884 he settled in the borougii 
of Warren, but in 1887 he jnnxhased a farm 
near Voungs\-ille, \\'arren County, Pa., and 
made his residence there for a period of five 
vears, during which time he operated his faru'i 



220 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIE 



with much success. In 1892 he removed to 
liis present farm in Glade townsliip, occupy- 
ing the old house that was built in 1862. 
Elizabeth Lorenz became his wife. She was 
born in Germany, and was a daughter of 
Peter Lorenz. Tlie following children blessed 
their home: Ella, wife of Walter D. Ward, 
whose life review appears herein; Anna, 
born in 1867, and died in 1874: Anna, born at 
Oil Creek, is receiving her education in War- 
ren, where she is a young student and a very 
promising musician; William Peter, born in 
1875, received his primary education in the 
district school, and later went to Sugar Grove 
Academy for two terms; he was a student at 
that place when accidentally killed in 1891. 

Walter D. Ward, a son-in-law of our sub- 
ject, was born at Matthews" Run, Warren 
County, October 10, 1870. He is a son of 
George Ward, who was born at Nottingham. 
England, in 1816, came to America in 1845, 
and settled in Sugar Grove township, where 
he engaged in fanning and manufacturing 
shingles. He enlisted in the Union Army, in 
Company C, iiith Reg., Pa. Vols., and par- 
ticipated in the battles of Antietam, Bunker 
Hill, the Wilderness, and Gettysburg. Ann 
Gray, a daughter of Samuel Gray, of Shefifield. 
England, became his life companion and 
shared his joys and sorrows. She was born in 
England in 1836, and came to America in 
1850, having received her education in her 
native cotmtry. Their union was blessed with 
the following five children: Walter D. ; Wil- 
liam; Lawrence; Samuel, and Susan. Walter 
D. was educated at Matthews' Run, and after 
leaving school engaged in lumbering for three 



years; he then took up agricultural pursuits 
until the time of his marriage with Ella Beck- 
er, the daughter of our subject. This event 
occurred in 1893, and since that time they 
have continued to reside at the Becker home- 
stead, where Mr. Ward assists his father-in- 
law in the cares of the farm. One little son, 
Frank Earl, completes the family circle, and 
is a source of much delight to his parents and 
his grandparents. 

Our subject is an earnest Republican, but 
could never be prevailed upon to accept of- 
fice, even in its minor forms. He is a member 
of the Evangelical Church, and contributes 
liberally to its support. Socially, he is a val- 
ued member of Eben X. Ford Post, No. 336, 
G. A. R. 



/pT^ORGE W. BROWX has for many 
Y^l years been engaged in the organiz- 
ing of different lodges and has thus 
become extensively known throughout the 
State of Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio, and 
Western Xew York. He is still -engaged in 
this good work and has organized more fra- 
ternities than any other man in the United 
States, having recently completed the organ- 
ization of his four hundred and fifty-fifth 
lodge. Mr. Brown is a man of many sterling 
qualities and is esteemed and beloved by the 
citizens of Youngsville, among whom he has 
resided since his boyhood days. He was 
born April 4, 1828, at Centreville, Crawford 
County, Pa., and his parents were John and 
Jane (McCray) Brown. 

John Brown was born near Chambersburg, 
Franklin County, Pa., in 1797, and at the time 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



221 



of his death he was a resident of Youngsville, 
Pa. His occupation was that of a Uunber- 
man and farmer, in whicli he was very suc- 
cessful. When a young man Mr. Brown 
moved to Titus ville. Pa., and there he made 
the acquaintance of Jane McCray, whom he 
afterwards wedded; she was born in that vil- 
lage in 1807. They were the proud parents 
of the following children: Sarah J.; George 
W.; Anna M.; Alexander; Robert R.; Oliver 
P., and Olive P. Sarah J. married Wilbur 
McKinney and is deceased. Anna M. was 
wedded to Arthur McKinney and they now 
reside in Youngsville. Pa.; Alexander is re- 
siding near Youngsville; Robert R. died at 
an early age; Oliver P. is also residing near 
Youngsville; and Olive P.. now deceased, was 
the wife of James McKinney. 

George W. Brown was a babe of two weeks 
when his parents moved from his native town 
to Titusville, Pa., and at the age of five years 
they moved to Garland, Warren County, Pa.; 
after seven years' residence in that village 
the family removed to Youngsville. where the 
subject of this biography has ever since re- 
sided. He was mentally trained in the public 
schools of Garland and in Brokenstraw town- 
ship, attending school during the winter 
months and assisting his father in the cultiva- 
tion of the farm in the summer; when a young 
man he worked in and about a saw mill dur- 
ing the winter and farmed in the summer. Mr. 
Brown possessed considerable musical talent 
and organized what was known for a long time 
as Brown's Band, which furnished the music 
for social gatherings in that section of the 
countrv for a number of vcars. At the age 



of thirty-two Mr. Brown engaged in the buy- 
ing and selling of lumber on his own account 
and soon became the owner of two lumber- 
yards, one located at Parker City and the 
other at Karns City, Pa. His business proved 
to be a very successful undertaking, as he 
soon amassed a handsome fortune, but the 
greater part of it was more quickly lost when 
oil made a dro]) from $2.50 per barrel to 50 
cents per barrel, and his lumber-yard at Par- 
ker City was destroyed by fire. Mr. Brown 
was also engaged in the oil business. He then 
began organizing Good Templar Lodges and 
continued in this work until he had organized 
one hundred and fifty-eight. He then com- 
menced the organization of lodges of frater- 
nal benefit orders, in which work he is still 
engaged. He has been connected with the 
following societies, in many of which he has 
held high official positions, namely: A. O. 
U. W. and degrees of honor; I. O. O. F. and 
Kossuth Encampment of \N'arren, Pa.; Sons 
of Temperance; honorary member of the W. 
C. T. U. ; member of the Rebecca Lodge, L O. 
O. F.; Knights of The Maccabees; Keystone 
Benefit Society, and Royal Templars of Tem- 
perance; he has been district deputy grand 
of the L O. O. F. of Warren County. 

Mr. Brown possesses considerable literary 
talent and is a regular correspondent for the 
Oil City Derrick, Titusville Morning Herald, 
and Erie Morning Dispatch; for twenty-two 
years past he had not missed a single week in 
writing for one or the other of these papers. 
He is deeply interested in floriculture and at- 
tends in person to the raising and care of a 
large and rare variety of plants." Religiously, 



222 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



he is an active member of the M. E. Church; 
of wliich he lias been a trustee for eleven 
years; he has been president of the board of 
committeemen of the Protestant Episcopal 
Church of \'()un<;s\ine, of which he lias also 
been a trustee for eleven years. In politics 
lie is a Republican and has served a term 
as coroner of Warren County and as a mem- 
ber of the school board of Brokenstraw town- 
ship. Mr. Brown has been twice married: his 
first wife was Sarah C. Whiting, of Tompkins 
County, N. Y. She died August 20, 1897, 
and October 5, 1898, he was joined in mar- 
riage with M. Florine Shipmaa, of Youngs- 
ville. 

Mr. Brown has always taken a deep interest 
in etlucalional. religious and other matters 
calculated to improve the condition of the 
Iicople. intellectually, morally and industrial- 
ly; he is a man of positive opinions and sound 
judgment, has been successful in life, and is 
highly esteemed by all for the excellence and 
worth of his character. 



ISAAC H. GILDERSLEEVE, postmas- 
ter, also proprietor and manager of the 
general store at Brook.ston, Howe town- 
ship, Forest County, Pennsylvania, was born 
in Eiberty Falls, Sullivan County, New York, 
September 10, 1845, ^"^1 is a son of Nathaniel 
and Esther (Florton) Gildersleeve. The foun- 
dation of his education was laid while in at- 
tendance at the district school in his native 
county; later this was supplemented with a 



course of study at the Liberty Normal Insti- 
tute. 

In March, 1863, Mr. Gildersleeve left home 
to accept a position as clerk in the tannery 
store at Coshocton Center, New York. Here 
he learned the business and remained in that 
capacity until 1867, when he purchased an in- 
terest in the concern, including the tannery, 
which, though small in comparison with like 
enterprises at the present time, was large for 
those days, turning out 40,000 sides of sole 
leather per year. This enterprise continued 
until 1874, when the tannery closed; but Mr. 
Gildersleeve, in partnership with a Mr. Knapp, 
continued to keep the store until Octoljer, 
1887, when he disposed of his interest in the 
business and came to Brookston to assume the 
management of the tanning company's store 
at that place. In 1893 he bought the store and 
has since continued the Inisiness, having a very 
well appointed and fully equipped place. 

Nathaniel Gildersleeve, father of Isaac H., 
was l)orn in Ulster County, N. Y., and up to 
the time of his death, which occurred in 1868, 
was a manufacturer of hemlock sole leather at 
Liberty Falls, Sullivan County, New York. 
His marriage with Miss Esther Horton re- 
sulted in the birth of seven children, viz.: Wil- 
liam; Jerusha; Annie; Isaac H.; Henry; Liz- 
zie; and Elsie. On September 12, 1870, the 
subject hereof was united in marriage with 
Miss Isabel Stoutenburg, of Fosterda'e, Sulli- 
van County, New York, and seven children 
have been born to them — Nathaniel; Carl; 
Anna; John; Elsie; Isabel; and Esther, de- 
ceased. In his political faith, Mr. Gildersleeve 
is a Republican. 




HENRY COBHAM. 




MRS. ANN HODGES COBHAM. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 




ENRY COBHAM. a gentleman resid- 
ing at Stonylonesome, Warren County, 
Pa., who is widely known through- 
out this section of the state, is descended from 
the nobility of England and is a scion of a fam- 
ily which figured prominently in the affairs of 
that nation for many years, and upon being 
transplanted to America in the nineteenth cen- 
tury became identified with the affairs of this 
country, attaining especial distinction in the 
military line. 

The family is of Norman extraction and 
with William, Duke of Normandy, crossed 
over to England, aiding him in conquering 
that country and estaldishing himself there, 
and they were rewarded by the title of a lord- 
ship. They distinguished themselves in the 
wars with France, in the Crusades, and in the 
invasion of France by Edward the Third, Lord 
Coldiam being one of those to whom the care 
of the Black Prince was confided by Iving Ed- 
ward, at the Battle of Crecy. Sir John Old- 
castle, one of the ancestors, was burned at the 
stake at St. Giles Fields, in 1418, A. D. ; his 
son fled from England and became the owner 
of large estates in Jamaica. 

Elijah Cobham was a large land owner and 
slave holder, who died subsecjuent to the year 
1696. His son Elijah was born in 1696, and 
likewise became a large land owner and slave 
holder in Jamaica, owning the Pucie Hall Es- 
tate. He returned to England and there mar- 
ried Ellen Woodcock of Euxtonburg, near 
Preston, and died in Liverpool, England, in 
July, 1767. A son was born to them, John 
Cobham by name, and he became a merchant 
of Liverpool and succeeded to the ownership 



of the property in Jamaica. He married Su- 
sannah Ashwarth de Fearns, May 5, 1746, and 
they lived in a large mansion in Castle street. 
Liverpool, where he died. He left a son, Eli- 
jah Cobham. who became a wealthy merchant 
of Liverpool and owner of the Pucie Hall Es- 
tate in Jamaica, where he had many slaves and 
sugar refineries. He resided in a large man- 
sion in Liverpool, now included in the town, 
and occupied by the government as barracks 
for a regiment of cavalry. This property, cov- 
ering about one acre, is now surrounded Ijy a 
high wall, and is situated on a high elevation 
of land. Mr. Cobham sent out to Jamaica as 
his supercargo, Jonas Bold, a son of the then 
mayor of Liverpool, but he proved unfaithful 
to the great trust confided in him and sold 
every cargo consigned to him, converting the 
proceeds to his own use. It was a common 
custom for the gentlemen of Liverpool to ac- 
company the mayor to church, Init they ceased 
to do so upon hearing of the dishonesty of 
Jonas Bold, as they believed there was col- 
lusion on the part of father and son to defraud 
Mr. Cobham. They confined the son in the 
Flint Street Prison for many years, but never 
was there any restitution made. The Duke of 
Clarence, afterward William the Fourth, and 
his suite, then being in the navy, were enter- 
tained by Mr. Cobham at Pucie Hall in Ja- 
maica for a period of six weeks, a circumstance 
which but illustrates the height of the lat- 
ter's standing in the world. In 1776 and 1777, 
French privateers captured his ships, which, 
combined with the losses incurred through 
Jonas Bold, so reduced his fortune that he re- 
tired from business to St. Asaphs in Wales, 



228 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



where he died on May 3, 181 1. He married 
Elizabeth Hargreaves of Lancaster, June 17. 
1792, and had many cliildrcn. 

Henry Coliliain, the oldest of these, and 
father of our subject, was born in April, 1795, 
and received a high classical education, being 
graduated from lirascnosc College, Oxford, 
England, taking the degree of A. M. He was 
a barrister of distinction and a master in chan- 
cerw having clKunbers in Lincoln's Inn, Lon- 
don. L'])on his introduction to the Prince 
Regent, afterward George the Eourth. the 
latter m;ulc the remark that the family was not 
imknown to him. Mr. Cobham married Cath- 
erine Curry, a daughter of John Gilmore Cur- 
ry, !M. n., of Liverpool. Eng., on October 30, 
iS2_'. and they had two children, namely: 
Henry, the siU)ject of this biogra])hical record; 
and George Ashworth Cobham. a colonel in 
the Civil War. Mr. Cobham passed to his 
final rest on .August 25. 1825. Airs. Cobham 
formed a second union with George A. Cob- 
ham in October, 1827, and in 1832, the latter, 
owing to financial embarrassment, moved to 
France with his wife and her two sons, and 
subsequently came to the United States, where 
he purchased a tract of land in Elk township, 
W'arren County, Pa. 

We think it not amiss to here relate a few of 
the events which transpired during the short 
lifetime of Col. George A. Cobham, a gentle- 
man of the noblest character, who sacrificed 
his life for the cause of his adopted country, 
and one who, gi\en his just due. was the real 
hero and commander of the Second Brigade. 
Second Division, of the Twelfth Army Corps, 
in that greatest of battles recorded in the an- 



nals of American History, the battle of Gettys- 
burg. He was born in England, December 5, 
1825. fi\e UKjnths after the demise of his 
father, and was taken to h'rancc and then to 
America by his stepfather, whom he was led 
to belie\'e was his real father for man\' years. 
It was not umil his cKlcr brother became of 
age that he learned of his true relation to his 
stepfather, but he continueil to treat him as 
in the past although recei\ing \er\- ill treat- 
ment in return, and advanced him money with 
which to aid in erecting a home at what is 
known as Cobham Park in W'arren County, 
Pa. He continued to live with him until 1858. 
when he manifested his great disgust at the 
treatment he received and left home. At the 
outset of the civil strife, in 1861, he warmly 
espoused the Northern cause, and enlisted in 
the Army of the Union. He served w ith great 
valor, displaying evidence of superior leader- 
ship, and rose to high standing in the army. 
It was immediately after the battle of Gettys- 
burg that the greatest injustice of his life was 
done him, as will appear from the following 
article written by a captain who served under 
him and who desired to right a cruel wrong: 

"TRUTH \TXDICATED!" 

"A Just and True Statement in Correction of 

the Ofificial Records, by Captain 

James M. Wells." 

"On July 8, 1863, twent\-five \ears ago, in 
the city of Frederick, Md.. Colonel George A. 
Cobham. Jr., then connnanding the Second 
Brigade, Second Division, 12th Army Corps, 
and myself held an earnest conversation. 
Standing in front of me. his hands clasping 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



229 



mine, his lips quivering with emotion, he said 
to me: "Captain, tiiis is liani to bear. That 
no wrong may possibly be ilone, however, I 
shall be silent.' I answered: 'Colonel Cob- 
ham, the truth shall l)e made known.' To this 
he answered: "Not now. At the end of twen- 
ty-five years, if either or both of us l)e then 
living, let the truth be made known." I prom- 
ised to obey his wish, and we moved on with 
the moving column in pursuit of Lee and his 
beaten army. The time has come for me to 
keep my promise then and there given. 

"A few days after the disastrous battle at 
Chancellorsville, Va., fought May i, 2 and 3, 
1863, and lost through the incompetency of 
Gen. O. O. Howard, commander of the nth 
Army Corps, Colonel George A. Cobham, Jr., 
I nth Pa. Vols., assumed command of the 2d 
Brigade, 2d Division, 12th Army Corps. Brig.- 
Gen. Thomas I. Kane, its previous command- 
er, having gone home sick on an indefinite 
leave of absence. Colonel Cobham command- 
ed the brigade from then. May 9, 1863, to G 
o'clock A. M., July 2, 1863. At that hour, just 
as the head of the brigade column was turning 
to the right from the Baltimore pike to take 
the position assigned to it on Gulp's Hill, 
Brig.-Gen. Kane rode into our midst in an 
ambulance of the 2d .\rni_v Corps and took 
command of the brigade. Colonel Cobham 
immediately assumed command of his own 
regiment, the iiith Pa. \'ols. Within a few 
minutes thereafter, while the brigade was still 
in motion toward the position assigned to it, 
Lieut. Thomas J. Laiper of General Kane's 
stafY came to Colonel Cobham and. in my 
presence, delivered to him an order from Gen- 



eral Kane for him. Colonel Cobham, to re- 
sume command of the 2d Brigade, as he. Gen- 
eral Kane, was too unwell to continue in com- 
mand. Colonel Cobham went to General 
Kane for further explanation and received 
from him, in my presence, a second order to 
resume command of the brigade. Thus or- 
dered. Colonel Cobham turned over the com- 
mand of his regiment, the inth Pa. Vols., to 
Lieut. -Col. Thomas M. Walker, and resumed 
command of the brigade. He led it forward to 
the position assigned to it in the line of battle, 
conducted the work of the brigade in the con- 
struction of breastworks, commanded and 
personally superintended every movement of 
the brigade from a few minutes after six 
o'clock A. M., July 2, 1863, to the close of the 
battle of Gettysburg. Every order issued to 
the regimental commanders of the brigade 
during the battle was given by him. Every 
change in the line of battle of the Ijrigade was 
made by his order and under his personal 
supervision. The fighting of the brigade was 
done under his eye. under his leadership, in his 
presence. Its prowess was witnessed by him. 
Its success on the field was due to his masterly 
arrangement of the brigade line, to his per- 
sonal supervision of every detail in the move- 
ments of the troops, to his inspiring and 
steadving presence among the men. The 
character of the fighting done by the brigade, 
under his leadership, at that battle, is attested 
by the punishment indicted upon the enemy. 
bv their repeated repulses, their overthrow 
;uid rout. 

"General Kane remained with the brigade 
during the battle, sitting near Colonel Cob- 



230 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



ham most of the time. He did not command 
tlie I^rigadc. lie did not issue an order (hn"ing 
the I)altlc, lie took no jiaft in tlie movement of 
tlie troops. lie in no \\a\- inlUienccd the figlit- 
iiig of the hrigade;he \va.s simply an on-looker. 

"July 4. 1863, was s])ent hy the members of 
the _'d lirigade. under orders from Colonel 
Cobham, in the Inirial of the Union and Rebel 
dead, thickly strewing the field. ( )n July 5. 
the brigade, under the command of Colonel 
Cobham, mo\'ed from Culji's Hill, where it 
had done its duty under his leadershii). 
marched to Littlestowii, Pa., and encamped. 

"Colonel Cobham accompanietl General 
Sherman in his southern cani])aign and his 
famous marcli to the coast, and just as victory 
was ])erching on the banner of the Fed- 
eral .\rniy, his was the sad misfortune 
to be slain in battle. At the battle of Peach 
Tree Creek, July 20, 1864, through the tem- 
porar_\' failure of another regiment, he and his 
bra\e followers were jilaced in a jiosition of 
imminent peril. Being summoned by a rebel 
officer to surrender, he refused, in consequence 
of which he was shot through the breast and 
lived but a few hours. Immediately his fall was 
avenged by his command, who quickly ended 
the life of the reliel at whose hands he fell. 
Thus terminated the Ijcautiful life of one who, 
though called to his eternal rest at an early 
age, will live long in the memory of a grateful 
people." 

.\fter his death. Colonel Cobham was made 
a brigadier-general by .Act of Congress. 

Henry Cobham, the subject of tiiis sketch 
and the eldest son born to iiis parents, was 
born on January 24, 1824. In i83_', he was 



taken to France by his stepfather, George A. 

Cobham. a brother of his father, and after- 
wards to the United States, he passing our 
subject and his brother ofY as his own sons, 
and they not knowing the contrary until 
Henry reached the age of twenty-one years, 
wlieii it became necessary to tell him. George 
.\. Cobham, Sr., purchased a tract of land in 
Iilk township, Warren County, Pa., and he 
l)nilt the residence known as Cobham Park, a 
portion of which was ]iaid for by his two sous. 
They also invested their money with his in the 
erection of other farm buildings and the saw 
mill on Hemlock Run. They worked and 
cleared the farm in the summer and sawed 
lumber during the winter months until 1853, 
when George Ashworth Cobham, Jr., became 
disgusted with the treatment he received and 
left home. Henry, however, stayed until the 
completion of the residence, in 1863, when 
owing to the existing unpleasantness in the 
famil)- he, too, left the home of his stepfather. 
For his labor and the money iinested in the 
property at Cobham Park, Mr. Cobham prom- 
ised to reimburse him by willing him upon his 
death an equal share with his l)rotlier George 
and his three half-sisters, in what property he 
possessed. 

Henry Cobham li\etl in Warren until his 
brother was killed at Peach Tree Creek, in 
1864, when-, upon the solicitation of his step- 
father, who said he could not live without him, 
he returned to Cobham Park and worked the 
])lace until the spring of 1866. He could en- 
dure it no longer and again took his departure, 
building the residence at No. 400 Fifth street, 
known as Cobham Place, in \\'arren. He re- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



231 



sided there until 1887, wlien he began building 
his present residence, Stonylonesome, on a 
height of land overlooking the Allegheny Val- 
ley and the town of Warren: standing as it 
does on one of the highest points in the coun- 
ty, it commands a magnificent view of the sur- 
rounding country. Exceptional in its natural 
beauty, it has been greatly improved by the 
addition of drives and walks. It is an exceed- 
ingly rich oil field, and he now has twenty oil 
wells in operation. Some of the greatest pro- 
ducers in the country have been developed on 
his place, a number of them yielding as high 
as 2,500 barrels of oil per day each. His house, 
which is a very handsome structure, was 
planned by him and he also sujierintended its 
erection, and no stone was left unturned to 
make it complete in every detail. It is a veri- 
table house of treasures, containing rare old 
volumes and paintings, and the interior ar- 
rangement is most pleasing, reflecting credit 
on the artistic taste of our suljject and his 
worthy wife. Mr. Cobham is a man of literary 
attainments and has written numerous poems 
of merit that have been collected and pub- 
lished, one \olume entitled, "X'erses. by 
Henry Cobham;" and the other, "In Memor- 
iam," is a magnificent tribute to his deceased 
children. 

Mr. Cobham served two terms as county 
surveyor, and he was a promoter and large 
stockholder in the Pickett Extension Table 
Company, an enterprise in which he unfortu- 
nately lost considerable money. He brought 
a large sum of money to his adopted countrv, 
and, having led a frugal and progressive life, 
it has been well expended in the improvement 



of the county. He is a man of pleasing per- 
sonality and perhaps we cannot better descrilie 
his life and character than to reproduce the 
following verses from his pen: 

THE ANGLO-S.\XON CITIZEN. 
"On his leaving happy England, where land was hard 

to get. 
He settled in the then back woods; with many trials 

beset 
Which sturdily he conquer'd, and it brought him peace 

and health, 
.'Vnd. afler years of struggle, to the border land of 

wealth. 
Settling here when pathless shade clothed every hill 

and stream, 
He had seen the land advance beyond the poet"s w'ild- 

est dream. 
He sported no green, no orange; such things he left 

behind, 
.And in Celt, or Teuton, here, could a brotlier only find. 
No party ties could bind him, nor no boss's high 

behest; 
.After weighing men and measures, would vote as 

seemed the best 
For the country's welfare, without regard to any class, 
.As willing each should have its right; nor with each 

other clash. 
Opposed to w^ar from principle, he would not throw the 

gage, 
But forced upon it wilfully, would then with zeal en- 
gage. 
In the stirring times of old; in the gloomy Southern 

fray 
Took down his rifle with the rest, and marched the 

self-same way; 
Held doctrines that were just, and wise, in that our 

infant day, 
That now no longer fit our strength, so should be laid 

away. 
With reverence for the days of old; and for the gen- 
erous mind 
Tliat advanced the Monroe Doctrine, in the interests 

of mankind; 
Yet still his heart heats fcindly for the old land o'er the 

sea. 
Where he learned all the precepts that made this land 

so free. 
Proud to trace his lineage to a race which always stood 
In the front rank of freedom, nor spared its Viking 

blood; 
And trusts its several clans may yet draw close in 

amity 
For justice, peace and betterment of all humanity." 



232 



liODK OF BKKlKArHlKS 



Many serious complications arose in the af- 
fairs of the Col)hain family after the dcatli of 
our subject's father, and his mother's marriage 
to George A. Col)ham, which finally resulted 
in considerable useless liti.uaticjn, and we will 
here t;ive a few fads which will e\|)lain how 
this status was effected, 'fhis ma_\- best be 
d.one in the words of our subject : 

"After the death of my father, Henry Col)- 
ham of Liverpool, England, my mother, Cath- 
erine Cobham, a daughter of John Gihnore 
Currv, was residing with my great-aunt, Alice 
Cobham, at her house. No. i6 St. Anne street, 
Liverpool, England, where my brother. Col. 
George A. Cobham, was l)orn tive months af- 
ter our father's death. Miss Alice Cobham 
owned seven-eighth shares in the house in 
which she lived, and my father, Henry Cob- 
ham, the other one-eighth share. She also 
owned the Newchurch Estates, comprising 
the Bre.x, Edge Lane, Elton Meadow, and 
Newchurch properties, and the Fearns and 
Tunstead Estates — to all of which I was heir- 
at-law, being eldest son of Henry Cobham, the 
eldest son of Elijah Cobham. who had three 
other sons, namely: Elijah, George .\., and 
John. George A. Cobham, the third of these 
sons, about the year iSjj went to reside at 
Liverpool and engaged in the practice of law. 
He succeeded in winning the confidence of my 
mother and |)roposed marriage, to facilitate 
which and provide for her great-nei)hews, .\1- 
ice Cobham surrendered to George A. Cob- 
ham the Newchurch, Fearn and Tunstead Es- 
tates a few da}'s ])revious to the execution of 
the luarriage settlement of Cieorge .\. Cob- 
ham on mv mother, m\- brother and mvself. 



in October, 1828, when the marriage was sol- 
emnized. Miss .Mice Cobham soon after died, 
leaving by her will her seven-eighth shares in 
the house in St. Anne street to my br(jther and 
myself, subject to the use of (_ieorge .\. and 
Catherine Cobham during their li\-es, and her 
])ersonal estate (sworn imder £4,()(X)) to m\- 
brother and myself; and 1 became po.ssessed 
of the other one-eighth share in the house in 
St. Anne street, as heir-at-law of I-^lijah Cob- 
ham, who died about this time, and the one- 
twelfth share of the Fearns and Tunstead Es- 
tates by the will of my father, .\bout the year 
1829 my stepfather went to reside at Fearns 
Hall on the Fearns Estate. He soon contract- 
ed debts to a large amount, which he was un- 
able to pay. His creditors would not wait, but 
lex'ied on and sold his personal property and 
arrested him for debt, committing him to Lan- 
caster Castle, where he remained until released 
by order of the court, as a bankrupt, after mak- 
ing an assignment of his interest in the Fearns 
and Tunstead Estates to an assignee in favor 
of his creditors. In the meantime his creditors 
discoxered that his marriage was invalid, he 
having married the widow of his deceased 
brother, Henry Cobham, and they com- 
menced proceedings in the Ecclesiastical 
Court to annul the marriage and thereby set 
aside the settlement, but he hearing of it left 
the C"ountr\" for France, to avoid the service 
of the writ. He was soon followed by my 
mother, and they resided there until the au- 
tunm of 1834, when they came to this country 
and made a settlement in what was then h-lk 
township, Warren County, I^a., which was 
called Cobham i'ark. Mr. Cobham alwavs 



THIRTV-SE\ENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



233 



passed my brother and I off as his sons, which 
we I^elieved until after we l)ecame of age, wlicn 
the settlement of our estate became advisable, 
as well as the appointment of another trustee 
to fill the place of Mr. Finlow. who had died 
some time previously, and at my stepfather's 
request I was appointed. It was then that I 
became acquainted with all of these facts from 
my stepfather himself, and they have since 
been confirmed by my English relation.s and 
the papers I have had access to in the course 
of very complicated transactions, in which I 
was compelled to take an active part. It was 
then my stepfather said he had always consid- 
ered me as a son and shouki always continue 
to do so, and that he would give me an equal 
share, in what property he should acquire, 
with his other chiklren. This was repeatedh' 
confirmed during our future intercourse. I 
continued to live with him, helping to make 
improvements, build the saw mill and work 
I he same, lumbering in winter and farming in 
sunmier, laying out and making roads and 
drives, helping plan and build the buildings, 
and being his confidant in all things. In 1852, 
soon after the barn was finished, a bill was 
introduced in the House of Commons to sim- 
plify the course of proceedings in the courts, 
pro\iding that the service of a summons to ap- 
pear on an agent was service on the ]irincipal. 
My stepfather, becoming alarmed, ])roposed ;i 
compromise to his English creditors, which 
was conditionally accepted. Then he told me 
that I had three small estates called Brex, 
Edge Lane, and Elton Meadow (part of the 
Newchurch Estate), which, if I would sell with 
the house in St. Anne street, would \ield suf- 



ficient money to make the compromise with 

the creditors, which he said was as much to 
my interest as it was to his, but this I after- 
ward found to be untrue, as nothing but his as- 
signed interest to creditors being at stake. He 
at this time repeated his promise to give me 
an e(|ual share of what ])ro])erty he might ac- 
quire here with his other children. The prop- 
erty was sold, together with some securities I 
inherited from Alice Cobham, realizing about 
£2,000, which was paid to his agents, Curry 
and Statham, and John Cobham. The com- 
promise was never carried out, each party 
blaming the other for non-compliance. 

"In 1857, when the frame of the new house 
was raised and covered, a bill of $6,000 came 
in from a firm in Warren, a large portion of 
which was for objects which neither my broth- 
er nor I approved of. We had been dissatis- 
fied with his mode of life for some years, and 
this con\inced us that there was little to hope 
for by continuing our connections with him. 
George left, the life he led lieing too uni)leas- 
ant to endure. I bad made up my mind to 
leave also, but on talking with my stepfather 
I felt sorry for him, knowing that he could not 
extricate himself from his difificulties without 
assistance, and when he sent me the following 
letter I consented to help him out: 
" "To Henry Cobham: 

■' "My Dear Henry: — I seriously disapprove 
of the comiection you at present think of, be- 
cause I think it one not calculated to insure 
your futiu-e hap]")iness. and which a])i)oars to 
me to have been entered into hastily and with- 
out that consideration and reflection necessary 
for the selection of a i)artner for life, ^'our 



234 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



future welfare is what I look to, and a little 
time and more mature reflection may give you 
time to alter your oi)inion. T write this to re- 
quest )()U will take that time and t^o on 
and thiish my new house, and if in that time 
by increased acquaintance you still find her 
one to make you hajJiiy, I may be induced to 
consent to it. When I exiircss a wish for you to 
go on with the house, I do so not as a mechan- 
ic whose labor I have to pay for, but as my 
son. .And tliis letter is written to assure you 
that whoe\er _\ou marry _\du shall be entitled 
under m\- will to a share of ni\' |)roperty. equal 
to your brother's' and sisters', and will com- 
mence from this ensuing rent day to pay you 
as much as my present circumstances will per- 
mit, of the rent of the Newchurch Estate, 
given by me to yotirself and brother under my 
marriage settlement. 

" 'July 3d, 1857.' 

"I did not marry the one referred to in this 
letter, and when I did marry, three and one- 
half years later, it was to a lady he most heart- 
ily ai)proved of. I heljied him out and finished 
the new house alone, but George also behaved 
\ery generously, although he would not stay 
at home any longer. He allowed his step- 
father $300 in gold each year, which he con- 
tinued by his will to have ]iaid to him (his step- 
father) during his life. 

"1 continued with my stepfather after the 
house was finished, working the farm, improv- 
ing it, and lumbering until the spring of 1863, 
when I left home to breathe a less oppressive 
atmosphere, but he prevailed upon me to re- 
turn at the time my brother was killed, in 
1864, and I helped on the place for two years, 
when again I left home to build a home for 



myself, but still allowed him to keep a large 
share of my rents, and otherwise helped him 
until his death. In 1863, the compromise 
with creditors not ha\ing been effected, on 
account of w ant of sincerity on both sides, my 
stepfather advised that £1,000 of the sum pro- 
duced by the sale of theBrex, Edge Lane and 
Elton Meadow Estates (what was left of the 
sale of the house in St. .\nne street after 
Statliam's failure had been sent over here 
and applied on Statham's law bill) should be 
sent to this coimtry and in\ested in U. S. 5-20 
bonds, which, if done fairly, would ha\e been 
a wise measure, so I consented. But it after- 
wards appeared that he had already drawn for 
it and invested the mere face value of £1,000, 
namely, $4,850, in those I)onds, and had the 
balance which lie made l)y the sale of the gold 
(which must at the rate of j^remium then paid 
for gold have exceeded the sum invested) 
placed to his credit at the Chautauqua County 
National Bank. 

"In 1866 my stepfather, with my mother's 
consent, brought over to this country and in- 
vested in U. S. bonds my mother's fortune of 
£400, which was in the hands of her brother 
in trust to her for life and after her death to 
l)e divided in equal sliares between her chil- 
dren. This sum and the premium it brought, 
$2,600, was invested in U. S. 5-20 l)onds. In 
1867 my mother died and my stepfather re- 
sumed negotiations with Pilling and Ilar- 
greaves, the assignees for the English cred- 
itors, through John Cobliam, to complete the 
comjiromise, and after two years it was com- 
pleted by my joining in a mortgage to John 
Cobham, and as we had so often failed in deal- 




HKXKN OLDCA.SII.K COIillAM. 




CATHERINE CURRV COBHAM, M. 1). 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



239 



ing witli tliem collectively, John and myself 
bought up the separate debts, which were as- 
signed to me, and liy me to my stepfather on 
my return from England. For this he secured 
me from loss in the transaction by a contract, 
which after his death I tiled with the admin- 
istrator. At the death of my stepfather, in 
1870, the estate was practically insolvent. He 
had received no rents from his share of the 
English property since my mother's death, 
three years previously, and the last bond had 
been sold in December preceding his death. 
The sum left to him by my brother also ceased 
with his death, while I, on account of my 
share of the rents of the English estates being 
withheld by John Cobham to secure the pay- 
ment of the joint mortgage, was utterly un- 
able to make any effort to sustain the will. 
John Cobham refused to accept the provis- 
ions of the will in regard to the repayment of 
the joint mortgage, and refused to pay the 
rents he had collected as trustee of the mar- 
riage settlement on the plea that the assignees 
of the unpaid English creditors might make 
him accountable for them, and that the heirs 
of George A. Cobham, Sr., claimed them by 
virtue of the marriage settlement. He would 
not pay to the heirs as the trustees might 
claim them, and went still further, in direct 
opposition to the instructions of his co-trus- 
tee, by instituting a suit in chancery to de- 
termine to what claimant they were due, 
which suit was not determined until August, 
1876. Sager, soon after the citation to pro- 
duce the will, filed a caveat against its probate, 
and an administrator, Rufus B. Smith, was 
appointed, who made an appraisement and 



paid some of the debts. Sager's point was 
that I, not being a child of the testator, would 
not be entitled to any part of the estate." 

On April 3, i860, our subject was joined in 
the holy bonds of matrimony with Ann 
Hodges, a daughter of W. \V. Hodges, Esq., 
and four children blessed their union, two of 
whom died in infancy. The other two, Cath- 
erine Curry and Henry Oldcastle, lived lives of 
great promise, attaching themselves to every- 
one, but passed away in early life. The estate 
made by and for them will pass into the hands 
of the commissioners of the Rouse Estate for 
the benefit of the poor and infirm of Warren 
County, in conformity with their wishes, and 
the estates in England as well, being con- 
verted into money to carry out that purpose. 

Catherine Curry Cobham was born in 1863, 
at Warren, Pa., and was educated in the War- 
ren High School, graduating from that insti- 
tution in 1 88 1. She displayed much of the 
poetic ability of her father and had the honor 
of writing the class song at the time of her 
graduation. It is very cleverly written, and 
we take pleasure in reproducing it: 

CL.\SS SONG OF 'Si, 

Air — The Dream is Past. 

"M last, in bidding fond farewell. 

We hardly can refrain from tears. 
At breaking all the magic spell, 

Enwove with many pleasant years. 
Sad tones revibrate here, this night. 

At leaving teachers, friends we love. 
Though hope wove through its tints as bright 

As glow in fleecy clouds above. 

"For fancy wings would aid us soar 
Where deeper thought would hardly climb; 

Pointing out in flattering lore. 

High summits on the hills of time. 



240 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Whose sunlit peaks seemed all aglow. 

As blendnig with the golden skies; 
And yet, she could not stoop to show 

A ready path by which to rise. 

"Now we must climb o'er slopes unknown. 

By trails on which we may not mccl; 
Testing each fragment (all alone) 

To see if it will bear our feet — 
As travelers o'er the drifting snow 

Will scan the trackless prospect o'er. 
Seeking some rock, some tree they know. 

To find llie road they'd trod before. 

"So llirough the devious ways of life. 

Where'er we go, where'er we turn. 
Our guides, while toiling through its strife, 

Will be what we came here to learn. 
And though the way abound with snares. 

They will endure (a beacon ray). 
Till death steals on us unawares. 

And memory fades, with life, away." 

After leaving school Miss Cobham entered 
ui)on the study of medicine under the direc- 
tion of Dr. I. M. Davies. with whom she re- 
mained until 1883, when she entered the 
Woman's Homeopathic College of New York 
City, where she was a miixersal fa\orite. In 
1885 she began tiie jjractice of medicine in 
Dayton, Ohio, and continued mitil a few 
weeks before her death, when she returneil 
home to be near her family during her last 
momeiUs. She was a musician of no mean 
ability, and during her failing health it proved 
a great consolation to herself and family. 
E\-eryone who knew her fell a \ictini to her 
sympathy for others, and her death was great- 
ly regretted l)y her scores of friemls. 

Henry Oldcastle Cobham wn^ born on July 
29, 1870, and was educated in the Warren 
High Sciiool. of which he was a graduate. 
After leaving school till the time of his death 
he was a corresponding member of the Scran- 



tOn College of Mining and Engineering. In 
1879 he and his sister organized the Allegheny 
Lodge of Ju\enile Templars, 1. (). (j. T., in 
Warren, and thev maintained it for some 
years in the face of great ojiposilion; it con- 
sisted of 250 members, in Decendier. 1889, 
he organized a camp of the Patriotic Order 
Sons of America, of which he was ai)pointed 
district president, which of^ce he iield until 
his death. In 1891 he aided in organizing the 
Pickett Extension Table Comjiany, which had 
a capital stock of $125,000. He was the larg- 
est stockholder, holding $12,000 worth of 
stock, and he was elected and served as sec- 
retary imtil the dissolution of the company. 
He tlien took the management of the Stony- 
lonesome Estate, on which he died, August 
1 1, 1897, 'IS a result of blood poison by the in- 
jection of anti-toxin fluid by the attending 
])hysician. He was a young man of promise 
and a favorite wherever known. He had great 
artistic and musical talent, and beautified anil 
enli\ened the life at Stonylonesome. otherwise 
embittered by a long series of absurd, \ indict- 
i\'e lawsuits brought against him, ins sister, 
mother and father, growing out of the settle- 
ment of the estate, in which the jdaintiffs were 
always non-suited, but still it was a costly 
and griexous oppression. 

.\ i)ortrait of Brig.-(ien. George A. Cob- 
ham appears as the frontispiece of this work. 
It also gives us pleasure to state that portraits 
of Henry Cobham, his wife, Ann Hodges Cob- 
ham, and his son and daughter, Henry Old 
castle Cobham and Catherine Currv Cobham, 
are shown on ])receding pages in connection 
with the above life history. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



241 



§OHN v. CABLE, a prominent oil-pro- 
ducer and ex-merchant of Tiona, War- 
ren County, Pa., is one of the most en- 
terprising and well-to-do citizens of Mead 
township. He was born at Pittsl)urg, Pa., 
May 5, 1858, and is a son of John and Rose 
(F"innegan) Cable. As he was deprived of 
both parents while still a lad, little or nothing 
is known of his ancestors. His lather was 
born at Pittsburg, and, being a railroad man, 
was killed in an accident which occurred on 
the road ajjon which he was employed. He 
died at the age of thirty-five years, and his 
wife died also at the age of thirty-five years, 
leaving our subject entirely alone — the only 
child and sur\-iving member of the family. 
John V. attended the Pittsburg schools, and 
when of suitable age to go to work he learned 
the puddler's trade, serving the full appren- 
ticeship of fi\-e years; he did not, however, 
like this trade, and determined to quit it when 
his apprenticeship had expired. In the mean- 
time he saved what monev he could, and as 
soon as he was free embarked in business for 
himself, keeping a small cigar store. After 
following tliat occupation very successfully 
for about two years he decided to locate in 
Tiona, Warren County, Pa., which he accord- 
ingly did in 1886, when the oil excitement 
there was at its maximum height. Tiona v.as 
then only a very small settlement, containing 
but one store, and Mr. Cable rightly guessed 
that it would be a good idea to locate in a 
small place and grow up with it. After build- 
ing a store there he engaged in general mer- 
cliandising and met with much success, con- 
tinuing at that business until 1896. Although 



he still owns the building he disposed of his 
stock and leased the premises, first to J. A. 
Whittier and afterwards to J. K. Whittier, 
the present ])roprietor. After Mr. Cable re- 
tired from the merchandise business he de- 
voted his time entirely to his oil interests. 

In 1891 he became associated with E. M. 
Clajjp of Tiona in sinking and operating oil 
wells and they still ojierate ten fine wells in 
that field, Mr. Cable owning, himself, eight 
additional wells. It is a rare fact and quite 
worthy of mention, that our subject has never 
sold any of his interests in oil wells, having 
been \ery successful through his excellent 
judgment in locating wells and leasing land 
to operate upon. He has been twice married. 
His first wife was Margaret Flynn and her 
children were: Thomas, Florence May and 
Rosanna Mildred. After bearing her husband 
three children, Margaret died at the age of 
thirty-three years. The second matrimonial 
alliance of Mr. Cable was contracted with 
Lizzie Corrigan, a favorite daughter of Peter 
Corrigan, of Warren, Pa. Their union oc- 
curred quite recently, in Xovember, 1898. 
Mr. and Mrs. Cable are members of the Cath- 
olic Church. Mr. Cable is an earnest sup- 
porter of the Democratic party and is now 
supervisor of his township, having also served 
as town clerk and auditor. Socially, he is a 
member and past commander of the ^^acca- 
bees. 

In 1891 Mr. Cable built his present resi- 
dence, a fine modern house, fitted out with 
every possible convenience and surrounded l)y 
fine lawns, which arc studded with beautiful 
shade trees and ornamental shrubberv. In 



242 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



this comfortable Ikhih- Ik- ami liis charming 
wife enjoy Hfe and liopc to entertain tlieir 
nnnierdiis friends for nian\- \ears to come. 




AML'KL STORU.M. a well-known, 
resident of Glade lownsliip. Warren 
Coinil)'. I'a., is one of the most higli- 
ly respected men in the vicinity, and is known 
as a gentleman of tlic liigliest principles, and 
splendiil character. He is always actisely in- 
terested in the affairs of the township, and is 
constantly looking ont for the interest of Ins 
fellow citizens. Mr. Stormn was horn Sep- 
tember 8, 1827, at P.nsti, X.- V.. and is the 
son of Sanniel and Mary (Sands) Stormn. 

The i)aternal grandfather was Charles Sto- 
runi. who was born in Connecticut, and was 
by occujjation a seaman. lie lived to be over 
one hundred years old, and was well known 
in that section of the countn'. Samuel Sto- 
rmn. the father of our subject, was also born 
in Connecticut, recei\ing his education in 
that state, .\fter le;i\ing school he took u|) 
farming, and Later mo\ed to Busti, N. ^'., 
;uid then to I'ine (irove township, Warren 
County, I'a. In i83() he located in CiL'ide 
townshi]), where lie bought the farm now 
owned bv his son, and after building a log 
house on the I;m<l. followed farming and lum- 
bering, lie m.uried Mar\- S.ands. and tlie\ 
were the parents of sixteen children. 

Samuel Storum, the subject of this biogra- 
phy, received his schooling in Warren bor- 
ougli, and after leaving school took up farm- 
ing, and also worked on the river, until his 
marriage, in 1857, to Laura 11. Woodard, ;i 



daughter of Exeter Woodard. Exeter Wood- 
ard was a nati\e of N'ermont, ;uid was bv oc- 
cuii.'Ltion ;i stone mason; he also learned the 
trade of brewing at .Mbany. X. \'., but in 
later life was an active farmer and veterinary 
surgeon in Warren County, Pa. lie died in 
1 88 1 at the age of eighty-two years, and his 
death was much mourned by all who knew 
him. lie left eleven children. Mr. Storum, 
after his marriage, began clearing the fann 
left by his f.ather, ;md on which his wife built 
a large brick house in 18S0. There are sev- 
eral oil wells on the land, which are cased. 
The ])ro])erty is a model of neatness, and 
speaks \olmnes for the thrift and energy ex- 
ercised by the owner. When his father lived 
on the place, from the sheep which they raised 
clothing for the entire family was made, it 
being carded, sptm, and w(i\en into garments. 
Mr. .Storum has, until recent years, voted 
the Republican ticket, Init now he is an inde- 
])endent voter, always voting for the party 
which represents his ideas. He is an earnest 
Spiritualist, and is a \ery interesting and en- 
tertaining talker on the subject, having a 
thorough knowledge of that belief. Mrs. 
.Storum is also an ardent Si)iritualist, and is a 
member of the W. C. T. U., having had at one 
lime charge of the literary part of the organi- 
z.ation in Warren County. S. Marshall, their 
son. is a graduate of the Warren High School, 
and also a bookkeeper, now, however, in the 
livery business in New York. He married Jo- 
sephine Grooves, and they have one child, 
who was l)orn in 1896. Mary E., their daugh- 
ter, now Mrs. Long, graduated from the War- 
ren High School, and, after leaving school, 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



243 



took a course of music under Mrs. Mason, 
who is a graduate from tlie best Italian 
schools. Mrs. Long is a IjrilHant musician, 
and is one of the best kiKjwn tcacliers in W^ar- 
ren. Slie has one child, Alarshall K. The 
third of their offspring, Myra M., died at the 
age of four years and eight months. Mr. 
Storum lias just cause for being proud of his 
record, and he is greatly respected in the 
count\-. 




jL'RR LEONARD BEALS, a promi- 
nent and rising farmer and lumberman 
of Pine Valley, Columbus township, 
Warren County, Pa., is steadily gaining for 
himself the reputation of being one of the 
thriftiest and most successful business men of 
the county. He was born in Pine Valley Jan- 
uary 21, 1865, and is a son of Leroy and 
Marietta (Faulkner) Beals. 

The paternal grandfather, Ezra Beals, was 
born in Connecticut February 20, 1781, and 
was a tanner and shoemaker by trade. In 
1 83 1 he moved to Columbus, Pa., and bought 
a large tract of land, b-uilding upon it a log 
cabin. One year after his arrival he was fol- 
lowed by his family, and they were obliged to 
endure all of the hardshiijs and struggles com- 
mon in the early pioneer days. Mr. Beals was 
an active lumberman, and opened several of 
the roads in that vicinity. He died in i86g, 
at the age of eighty-eight. Mr. Beals was 
married to Lucinda Streeter, who was 
born in Connecticut, January 11, 1789, 
and they reared nine children, as fol- 
lows: Bathsheba; Delilah; Ralph; Orpha: 
Badora; Martha; Rush; Lerov, and Horace. 



Leroy Beals, the father of our subject, was nine 
years old when he accompanied his parents to 
Columbus township, and there he received his 
mental training in the district schools. He 
assisted his father in the lumbering business, 
and then, with his brother, bought land in 
the neighborhocKl — afterward purchasing his 
brother's share. He was a manufacturer of 
rough lumber, and built and operated a saw 
mill, shipping to Pittsburg markets. Mr. Beals 
married Marietta Faulkner, who was born in 
Villanova. X. Y., and received her education 
at Bear Lake, Freehold township. Their chil- 
dren were: Lillie E. and Burr Leonard, the 
subject of this biography. The latter's father 
was a Democrat until the formation of the 
Republican party, when he became a faithful 
adherent to that cause until his death, which 
occurred December 26, 1889, His wife was 
an earnest member of the Cnited Brethren 
Church. 

Burr Leonard Beals, whose name heads this 
sketch, is one of the brightest and youngest 
farmers in that section, and a splendid future 
is before him. He received his early mental 
instruction in the schools of Pine Valley, and 
then took a course at the academy at Muske- 
gon, Michigan, and afterward was graduated 
from Brjant & Stratton's Business College at 
Chicago, 111. He then returned to Muskegon 
and became bookkeeper for the West Michi- 
gan Lumber Company, remaining there until 
January, 1889, when he returned to Warren 
County. Pa., to assume the management of 
his father's farm and lumbering interests. In 
1890, during the month of September, he suc- 
ceeded his father in the ownership of the prop- 



244 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



erty. and with his .s|)Iendid natural business 
al:>ilitics lie hids fair to become the most sue- 
cessfu! farmer in tlie vicinity. lie owns j^oo 
acres in farm lands. an<l has done miieh to im- 
proA'e the place, building new barns and out- 
honscs. lie carries on farming, dairying, and 
lumbering, having also Frank C. Betz as part- 
ner in the timber business. These gentlemen 
are interested in timber land in Oregon and 
property in bid^ewciod. N. \'. Mr. Reals is a 
strong Re]:)ublican. lie is a member of the 
Columlnis Lodge, F. & A. :\[., No. 264; 
Columbus Chapter, No. 200, of Corry, Pa., 
and Sylvia Lodge, No. 1024, I. O. O. F,, of 
Bear Lake. He was married in September, 
1890, to (j!ad_\s Maud Trask, wb.o was born 
in Busti, N. ^'., and is a daughter of Silas ami 
Clarissa (Way) Trask. She was educated in 
her native town. Five cliildren have resulted 
from this union, namely: Burr L.; Gladys M.: 
Fllen M.; Mariett.i. and Leroy A. Mr. Beals 
has a host of warm friends in Warren Countv, 
who are alwavs glad of his successes. 




U. ALAXS( )X CL,\KK I!L( )I)G1':TT 
{£) I is descended from an ancient French 
family, who for generations were dis- 
tinguished for their intelligence, enterjirise 
and integrity. The first representative of the 
family in America of whom Dr. Blodgett has 
any definite know ledge, was Joseph Blodgett, 
who settle<l in this country many years |)rior 
to the War of the Revolution. When the 
struggle for independence l)egan, the svmpa- 
thies of Samuel Blodgett, a son of Joseph, 
were at once enlisted in behalf of the strug- 



gling patriots, and being a gentleman of large 
fortune, he i)laced his means at the dis])osal 
of the .\mericati colonists, ;ind thus contrib- 
uted in a no small degree to the success of 
the .\merican .\rmy. lie not otdy contrib- 
uted largely of his wealth, but used his influ- 
ence in every jiossible manner among his old 
;'.C(|naintances in b'rance. to raise uj) friends 
for the struggling and hard-pressed jialriots, 
and thus greatly supplemented the diplomatic 
work of Benjamin Fi"aid<lin and others, who 
had gone to b'rancc to solicit hell) and sym- 
pathy for the cause of independence, .\fter 
the close of the war the American Congress, 
in recognition of his services, and as a partial 
compensation for the large sums of money ex- 
]:)ended b_v him in behalf of the cause of in- 
dependence, made him a grant of a portion 
of land in the District of Columbia. 

Solomon Blodgett, the grandfather of our 
subject, was born April 4, 1736: be served as 
a soldier in the Revolutionary W.nr, and at 
the close of the conflict he settled in Whites- 
town, N. Y., and later in Ontario County, N. 
Y., where he died at ;ui advanced age. He 
was twice married: his first wife. Hejisiba. was 
born ^larcli \(i, 1759. and died I'ebruarv 17, 
1793. Their children were as follows: Mar- 
tin, born October 10, 1782; Malinda, born 
March 31, 1785: Augustus, bt)rn March 25, 
1787; Arba, born April 8, 1789: and Cyrenus. 
the father of the snl)ject of this personal his- 
tory. His second wife. Thankful, was w edded 
to him Julv 4, 1793, and they reared the fol- 
lowing children: Ik-njamin, born Se])tember 
22, 1794; Lorin, born July 13. 1796; Gardner, 
born October 8, 1797; llepsiba. born Janu- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



245 



ai\- 8, 1799; Alexander, liorn Dctoljcr 27, 
1800; and Marion, born May 30, 1803. 

Cyrenus Blodgett. the fatlier of Dr. Hlod- 
gett, was born at Whitestown, Oneida Coun- 
ty, N. Y., October 6, 1792; lie served atjainst 
(ircat Britain in the War of 1812, and jjartici- 
pated in the battle of Black Rock and other 
engagements along the Niagara frontier. Af- 
ter tlie war he settled in Busti, N. V., and 
cleared and cnltivateil a large farm u])on u liich 
the remaining ])(.irtion of his life was spent. 
In 1816 he married Miss Celia Clark, a daugh- 
ter of Gardner Clark, of Petersburg, N. Y. ; 
she was born June i. 1798, and died in March. 
1858. Three children blessed the home of 
this union, namely: Mary Angeline, the wife 
of Dr. E. S. Stewart of Ellicottville. N. Y.; 
Alden Diver, who died in September. 1862; 
and Alanson Clark, the subject of our sketch. 

Dr. Blodgett was born October 26. 1821. in 
Busti. Chautaucjua County. N. Y. He re- 
ceived the benefits of such educational advan- 
tages as were available in the public schools, 
and also pursued a course of study at the aca- 
demy at Jamestown. X. Y. At an early per- 
iod of his career he conceived the idea of en- 
tering the medical profession, and determined 
to undertake a course of study that would fit 
him for the duties of that honorable calling. 
W'hh this object in view he entered the oflice 
of Dr. E. S. Stewart of Ellicottville. X. Y.. in 
1840. and later became a student at the Ge- 
neva Medical College, in Geneva. N. Y.. from 
which institution he was graduated in 1846. 
Sometime prior to his graduation he began 
the practice of medicine in W'rightsville. War- 
ren Countv. Pa., but upon sjraduatiinj he 



sought a field which offered a larger scope 
for the exercise of his talents, and settled in 
Youngsvillc, Pa., in the autumn nf 1847. lie 
at once entered upon an active practice, and 
soon established a reputation as a successful 
and conscientious ])li\sician. He ga\'e his 
careful attention to the duties of his profes- 
sion, and soon found his field of operations 
steadily widening. He became the attending 
physician and surgeon for the Rouse Hospital, 
near ^'oungsville, a position which he has but 
recently relinquished. F(jr a number of years 
he has owned and managed a farm of aI)out 
eighty acres, which has been culti\ated under 
his immediate direction. 

The doctor's political \iews were in con- 
sonance with the \\'liig party, and subse- 
quently with the Republican party. He has 
often held municipal offices, and also served 
one term as county commissioner. Had his 
inclination led him to seek office it is probable 
that he could have satisfied an_\- reasonable 
political aspiration. Dr. Blodgett has been 
twice married; on November 10. 1852. he was 
joined in the Ijonds of wedlock with Mary E. 
Littlefield, who is deceased. August 8. 1876, 
he wedded Venie C. Culbertson, a daughter 
of Josiali J. and Cordelia C. Culbertson. Mrs. 
Blodgett was born in Edinboro, Erie County, 
Pa., February 7, 1853; she was educated in 
the public scliools of her native town, and also 
in the State Normal School at F.dinboro; she 
is a lady of splendid literary and musical abil- 
ities, and is recognized as an ideal wife and 
mother. Dr. Blodgett is the father of three 
children, two sons l)y his first wife, one of 
whom. Frank IL. is residing in Voungsville, 



24(5 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Pa.; tlic other. L}'nn, died in liis infancy. 
Tiic only child by iiis second wife. Lucille, was 
born March 28, 1S78. Her early education 
was obtained in the common schools of 
VoungSNille, and at the age of twelve years 
slie entered the Conservatory of Music at 
01)crlin. Ohio, remaining there two years. 
She then entered the musical conservatory at 
Allegheny College, Mead\ille. Pa., graduat- 
ing in 1895. She then went to Xew York 
City, where she has been receiving private les- 
sons h^om a distinguished instructor. Miss 
Blodgett has musical talents of a high order, 
and is destined to make her mark in the high- 
est musical circles: she is a young lady of 
charming manners, and has hosts of friends 
and admirers wherex'cr she is known. 



f^OHX M.VSTERSOX, a leading grocer 
in the borough of \Varren, Warren 
County, Pa., hrst saw the light of day 
on June 24, 1847, ''^ County Ca\an, in the 
north of Ireland. His father, Patrick Mas- 
terson, was a farmer in Ireland, and John re- 
ceived liis early education at the national 
school of his n;iti\e place, which he attended 
for about three years. After leaving school 
he continued liis education under a private 
tutor until he reached liis se\'enteenth year, 
when his education was considered complete. 
He tlien engaged in agricultur;il pursuits on 
his father's farm, which occujialion he con- 
tinued until he reachetl the age of twent_\- 
three. 

On February 28, 1872, he left his native 
country for America, first landing in Boston. 



Massachusetts. After a short stay at the 
"Hub," he proceeded to Ir\'inet(jn, Warren 
County, Pa. He began his career in Amer- 
ica as a railroad man, entering the employ of 
the D., A. \'. & P. Railroad, and was con- 
nected with that company for sixteen years. 
In the meantime he had moved to Warren to 
reside, and during the last four years he re- 
mained with the company he made his home 
ill Warren. He entered the employ of Struth- 
ers. Wells & Company, at Warren, for about 
six months, when he decided to go into busi- 
ness for himself. He accordingly embarked 
in the grocery business at 823 Fourth street, 
Warren. He has continued in the same oc- 
cupation ever since, and a call at 821, Fourth 
street will result in finding Mr. Masterson still 
behind the counter, willing and anxious to 
please customers. 

The 25th of November. 1875, was a joy- 
ful day for Mr. Masterson, for that was his 
wedding day. He had wooed and won Mary 
Ellen Sulli\-an, the beloved daughter and only 
child of Michael and Margaret Sullivan, high- 
ly esteemed citizens of Irvineton. Warren 
County. Mr. and Mrs. Masterson are tlie 
proud [larents of ten children, as follows: 
Mary Henrietta: Margaret Agnes: Catherine 
M.; Michael Frank: Frances: Alice Josephine; 
James Patrick: Lauretta Sarah: Winifred 
Cirace; and John Edward. Mr. Masterson. 
with his family, belongs to the Catholic 
Church. He is a meml)er of the C. M. B. A., 
holding the office of district deputy: of the 
K. S. F. I., holding the office of collector and 
treasurer; he has also held the oflice of presi- 
dent of the C. M. B. A., and was a delegate 




REV. JAMES A. McCABE. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



to two conventions — in 1892, at Scranton, 
Pa., and in 1894 at Philacleli)hia, Pa. In 1882 
he was elected scliool director nf Irvinctun; 
in 1893 was elected councilman from the 
fourth ward of Warren for a term of three 
years. At the expiration of his first term he 
was re-elected to the same office for three 
years more. During his second term as coun- 
cilman he was president of the council for the 
last two years. In February, 1899, he was 
again re-elected for a third term. He was 
also appointed assessor of the fourth ward by 
the commissioners to fill a vacancy. 

Mr. Masterson is a pleasant, agreeable man. 
and has faithfully performed the duties of 
every ofifice imposed upon him. As a citi- 
zen he is of the broad, liberal stamp, and a 
believer in every movement whose tendencies 
are toward the betterment of mankind. 




1^ J EV. JAMES A. McCABE, the worthy 
and popular pastor of St. Joseph's Ro- 
man Catholic Church, the first 
church founded by the Roman Catholics in 
Warren, Pa., was born in County Westmeath, 
Ireland, January 17, 1835. He is a son of 
James and Margaret McCabe, who emigrated 
from their nati\-e country in 1845 and settled 
in Suscjuehanna County, this state, where they 
passed the remainder of their days on a farm. 
The father died at the age of eighty-nine and 
the mother was seventy-se\en years of age 
w hen she was called to her final resting place. 
The subject of this sketch received such pri- 
mary education as the schools in Susquehanna 
County offered and then attended Niagara 



University, in Niagara County, N. Y., from 
which he was graduated April 2, 1868. He 

diligently pursued his i)re])aralions f(_)r the 
priesthood and was ordained a deacon in i8f(8, 
and on April 2, 1869, was ordained to the 
priesthood. His first ajipointment was as an as- 
sistant in the cathedral in Erie, Pa., where he 
served faithfullx and capably until 1876. In 
the meantime St. Andrew's parish was organ- 
ized In' him and a new church erected in the 
western part of the city of Erie and dedicated 
July 16, 1 87 1, by Bishop Mullen, and the 
young priest was placed in charge of the new 
parish as its pastor. He was very successful 
in the new field, and there began to show the 
great ability and the strength of character 
which have made him one of the foremost and 
most successful priests in Pennsylvania. It 
was in the parish of St. Andrew's that Father 
McCabe began the temperance work for 
which he is noted and in which he has been the 
means of accomplishing so much for the bene- 
fit of his fellowmen, not only within his church 
but among those of other denominations. 
The cause of sobriety ever has had his earnest 
support and he has constantly directed his ef- 
forts toward all reforms calculated to benefit 
the people over whom he has had spiritual 
charge as well as the community in which he 
has resided. In January, 1889, Father McCabe 
was transferred to St. Mary's Church, in Clar- 
ion County, Pa., where he was stationed for 
five years. During that period the church grew 
rapidlv antl prospered wonderously under his 
careful and wise administration. I le crowned 
his good wtjrk in Clarion County by erecting 
St. Ann's Church, at a cost of $2,100, which 



250 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



he bore personally, sivin^ the money out of | erally, so much has he clone to provide inno- 



his own funds and lea\ins4' a handsome church 
as a monument to his energy, his love for the 
people for whom the edifice was built, and his 
unceasing desire to further the interests of his 
faith and of those who were i)elie\ers in it with 
himself. 

In February, 1895, Father McCabc again 
was transferreil. taking charge of St. Joseph's 
Church in Warren, where he now presides over 
one of the largest and most prosperous par- 
ishes of his church in Pennsylvania. He im- 
nicdiatel}' won the respect and the ailmiration 
of the i)eo])le of the ])arish b\' his unassuming 
manners and his sincerit_\- and earnestness. 
I^'roin the beginning, his work has borne fruit 
ami his labors have been constaiUly encour- 
aged and made producti\e by the loyal, united 
and cheerful support of his parishioners, who 
look up to him as a kindly father who leads 
his children with lirm }et gentle hand, antl 
who has in his heart their best interests and 
the desire to conduct them pleasantly and 
surely into the hereafter, fitted to occupy any 
station to which God may see fit to assign 
them. 

Esi)ecially in work for the young people in 
his church does Father McCabe excel. He is 
a man of advanced and progressive ideas, one 
considerably in advance of the age in many 
things which go to make up the essentials of 
a happy existence and a faithful and consistent 
living up to the creeds of the church and the 
customs of Christian men .'ind women. Our 
subject is regarded as a patron and a benefac 
tor not only by the young men and women of 
\\'arren but by his friends and neighbors gen- 



ccnt recreation that bodily improvement ma_v 
accompany the development and the sanctiti- 
cation of the spiritual man. With the energy 
and directness of purpose which characterizes 
all of his labors. Father McCabe set to work 
to erect a suitable building for the \arious so- 
cieties of the church and in which meetings 
might be held. St. Tose])h's Hall, a substan- 
tial and handsome structure, in dimensicjus 58 
by 96 feet, capable of seating over 700 people, 
besides those who could be accommodated on 
the large stage, stands to-day as an evidence 
of his purpose and labors, and it serves well as 
a fitting and helpful adjimct to the regular 
work of the church. In it are most comfort- 
ably quartered the L. C. 1>. A., the Beech 
Street .Vthletic Club and the parochial school. 
The St. Joseph's Branch No. 18, Ladies' 
Catholic Benefit Association, was organized 
June 4. 1890, and now has nearly one hundred 
members, and is in a flourishing condition. 
The association performs a noble work in pro- 
viding protection for the families of its mem- 
bers, and it constantly renders prompt and 
most helpful assistance to those who ma_\' be 
in need. St. Joseph's Branch No. 2j, C. M. 
B. A., was chartered March 11, 1884. It num- 
bers among its members man\- of the most in- 
fluential and popular young men in Warren, 
and is an organization whose power for good 
is great. Over it Father McCabe watches with 
zealous interest, and as its spiritual adviser he 
accomplishes a large share of the good work 
w hich he constantly takes upon himself in be- 
half of his parishioners and the moral welfare 
of the citizens of Warren in general. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



261 



This review of the career of Father McCabe 
and of his labors as a priest in Warren would 
be incomplete without appropriate reference 
to a feature of iiis work in connection with St. 
Jose])]i's which is worthy of study and cnutla- 
tion. Father McCabe evidently is a believer 
in the theory that a sound, pure, strong mind 
may better be developed if accompanied by an 
e(|nally healthful and sound physical structure. 
Then, too, the man who has brawn and muscle 
and is in good health is not only in best trim 
for the struggles of every-day life, but he 
stands less in need of stimulus or excitement, 
and therefore is less likely to wander into for 
bidden paths or practices which harm l)oth 
body and nu'nd. \\'ith the detinite purpose of 
providing both physical an<l moral cullure for 
the young men of Warren, Father McCaabe 
suggested the formation of the Beech Street 
Athletic Clul), which was organized [anuarv 
1 6, 1896. The club started with 50 members 
in a modest and unpretentious way. To-day 
it wields an influence for good which far ex- 
ceeds even the expectations and the hopes of 
the beloved priest who promoted it. The club 
now has about one hundred, members, and has 
also about the same number of honorary mem- 
bers, including the most prominent business 
men of Warren, who, recognizing the benefi- 
cial character of the organization, cordially 
give it their support, irrcspecti\e of religious 
affiliations. The club is very comfortably 
quartered in the St. Joseph"s l)uilding at 
Fourth and Beech streets. The basement of 
the two-story brick structure, which is 58 bv 
96 feet, is used as the gynmasium. which is 
fitted with e\ery modern athletic appliance. 



with baths, and is admirably lighted and 
ventilated. There is also a smoking-room, a 
room which is devoted to games of amusing 
and harmless nature, and a cosy ])ar!or, elc- 
gaiUly furnished, in which the members spend 
many of their evenings. On the second floor 
of the building is an assembly hall seating over 
700 persons and fitted with scenery and the 
necessary e(pu])nient for properly giving en- 
tertainments. The club serves many purposes 
in addition to its athletic training. It affords 
a comfortable place in which the young men 
may meet, may exercise, may enjoy them- 
selves in a multitude of ways, and may have no 
desire to be upon the streets or elsewhere ex- 
cept at their homes. 

The history of St. Joseph's Church covers a 
period of forty-five years, and it is a history of 
])ersevering effort and continual progress. Un- 
fortunately, the church records were kept in 
mere outline for years, and are verj- in- 
complete. The first effort to establish the 
church was made in 1850, when in May of that 
year a site at Fourth and Beech streets was 
donated by Orris Hall and wife to Rt. Rev. 
Michael O'Connor, Bishop of Pittsburg. The 
money for the erection of a modest church was 
raised by subscription, and as the Roman 
Catholics in Warren were then few, it was a 
most difficult task. However, Bishop O'Con- 
nor worketl \igorously, and, aided by the good 
people in Philadelphia, Pittsburg and other 
places, raised sufficient funds to erect a brick 
cluu-ch 28 by 48 feet, which then was more 
than ample to accommodate the congregation, 
which consisted of fourteen families and five 
other parishioners. The members of the con- 



252 



HOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



i^rcgation at that lime were as follows: Chris- 
topher. W'illiaiii and James Bennett and fam- 
ilies; Thomas I*"arrell and family; John Wil- 
liams and family; A. Aron and family; Joseph, 
Thomas and Patrick Archibald and families; 
Joseph C. Picnnctt: John P.ayson and family: 
John P)aley and family; James and 1 )anicl 
Brogan and families; Daniel Brogan. Jr; Wil- 
liam Cochran; Mr. Findley; and Air. Mauri- 
ner. The congregation heing too small to 
snp])ort a priest, it was supplied by priests of 
Pittsburg until 1858, when Rev. Father Sheri- 
dan became the first resident pastor, and for 
se\'eral years administered to the parish faith- 
fully, and acceptably. Since then the church 
has had as jjastors Revs. Afark .\. De La 
Ro(pie, Peter Calley, Clark, J. Lenahan, M. E. 
Traccw and the subject of this sketch, James 
A. McCabe. 

Warren grew from a small hamlet to a pros- 
perous borough and St. Joseph's Church kept 
l)ace with it. The original church i)roved in- 
adecjuate. and in 1872 ground was broken for 
the erection of tlie present handsome edifice. 
The corner stone was not laid until 1873. after 
which the work was r;ipidly pushed to comple- 
tion, and the clnn-cli was dedicated early in 
the spring of 1877. The building cost about 
$30,000, and w hen finished was acknowledged 
as one of the handsomest and most substantial 
in Warren or vicinity. Under the supervision 
of Father McCabe a handsome residence of 
brick and cut stone is being erected. — the 
main building being 32 by 42 feet, two stories 
higli. with a wing 24 by 30 feet, also two sto- 
ries. When completed it will be one of the 
handsomest parochial homes in this iliocese. 



It is with pleasure tiiat we are able to state 
that a portrait of Rev. James A. McCabe ap- 
])ears on another ])age of this volume. 




RS. MAR^' .M. MAZE, the sub- 
ject of this brief sketch, is the 
owner of one of the finest farms in 
Barnett township. Forest County, Pa., upon 
which she no\V lives. Mrs. Maze is a woman 
oi many sterling c|ualities, and although well 
advanced in years, is still very active, and con- 
ducts the farm in such an able manner as to 
win the admiration of her friends and neigh- 
bors. She keeps eight cows, three horses, 
etc., but makes a specialty of raising hay and 
grain. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Ve- 
nango County. Pa., December 5. 1835. and is 
a daughter of Alexander and Clarissa (Se.K- 
ton) Holeman. Her father was a farmer, and 
also worked as a pilot on the river during his 
younger days. His parents went to Venango 
County when Alexander was eight years old. 
At that time the countv was a \ast wilder- 
ness, and there were no white inhabitants 
within five miles of .\lr. Holcman's house. 
The only playmates Mr. Holeman had were 
the Indians. It is said that his father was 
once captured l)y the Indians and forced to 
"run the gauntlet." Mr. Holeman followed 
farming, and very successfully, too — being 
one of the leading citizens of his section of 
the country. In 1844 he was elected to the 
legislature and served two terms; he also 
served as county judge several years. His 
marriage with Clarissa Sexton resulted in the 




RICHARD ENGLISH. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



255 



birth of tlie follDwing; cliiklren: Elizabeth; 
Charles; Uoswell; Nancy; Isabel; Jane; Eli; 
John; Mary M., th.e subject of this sketch; and 
Richard. Alexander Holenian died in 1^75, 
at the adxanced iv^c of eii^hty-four years, hav- 
ing- pre\ionsly been dei)ri\ed of his beloved 
companion, in i860. Mrs. Holeman was of 
English descent, and her people removed to 
Pennsylvania from the state of Connecticut. 
Mrs. Mary M. Maze received a good com- 
mon-school education, and when grown to 
maturity she was joined in marriage with 
James Cossgrove of Clearfield County. Her 
first husband died January 17. 1855, leaving 
her with one son and one daughter. Their 
names are Luelia, wife of George W. Kuhns. 
and James, who resides on the farm with his 
mother. On August 6, 1858, our subject con- 
tracted a second matrimonial alliance — this 
time with Jacob Maze. Jacob Maze was born 
near Redclyffe, Forest County, January 17, 
1846, and was a son of Thomas and Martha 
Maze. His father was a prominent farmer and 
lumberman, antl Jacob remained at home on 
the home farm until his marriage. In 1870 
they moved to the farm where Mrs. Maze still 
resides, and which was bought and deeded to 
Mrs. Maze by her father. At that time it 
comprised 400 acres, but 200 acres of the land 
have been sold. Here Mr. Maze carried on 
farming until his death, in 1891, at the age of 
forty-six years. Two children blessed the sec- 
ond union, also. They are: John B.. who re- 
sides on the homestead in a house of his own, 
and Mattie Jane, wife of Albert Fitzgerald. 
Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald also reside near the 
home of Mrs. ^ifaze. 



Surrounded by her loved ones, Mrs. Maze 
is peacefully spending her declining years, but 
she is a woinan of great force of character, and 
as long as she lives she is bound to be a rul- 
ing s])irit in her home and on her own 
acres. So greatly beloved is she by her chil- 
dren, however, that even her slightest wish is 
anticipated. In the management of lier farm 
she is ably assisted by her sons, who delight 
in rendering her every possible assistance. 




ICHARD ENGLISH, who until re- 



cently was the capable and efficient 
superintendent of the Bristol Tan- 
nery of Torpedo, Pa., is now superintendent 
of the Stoneham Tannery, both of them being 
branch establishments of the Penn Tanning 
Company. Mr. English, who is recognized as 
one of the most progressive citizens of Stone- 
ham, Pa., was born and reared at English Cen- 
ter, Lycoming County, Pa., where he also re- 
ceived his educational training". After leaving 
school he was employed for several years by 
Hartenburg, Elmore & Co., in their tannery. 
After the business was transferred to Davidge 
& Company, he was retained in the service of 
the latter company as inside foreman, and oc- 
cupied this position until 1884. when he re- 
signed in order to acce])t a more lucrative sit- 
uation as assistant foreman for Hoyt & Broth- 
ers, of Limestone, Cattaraugus County, New 
^'ork. For many months the entire resjion- 
sibility of the tannery devolved on him. Me 
remained with that company for about four 
years, accepting then, in 1891, the position of 
general foreman of the tanneries of McFar- 



256 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



land & Company, of Laporte, Sullivan Coun- 
ty, Pa., continuino^ in the employ of that coni- 
pan_\- about fourtt'cn months. Su1).se(|uentl\- 
he went to TorjK'do. I'a., as foreman of the 
Torpedo Tanning Company's plant there, and 
was i^romoted in May, 1897, to the position of 
superintendent of the Bristol Tannery: he held 
this until the sjiring of 1899, when he was 
transferred to the Stoneham Tannery. ( )ur 
suljject is a l)orn leader and director of men, 
possessing natural executive ability, and is, 
therefore. ])eculiarly fitted for his ])resent re- 
s])onsible position. 

Besides his wide experience in the tanning 
business, Mr. English has studied many differ- 
ent systems of tanning. He has the reputa- 
tion of being a specialist in the manufacture 
of sole leather, and under his direction the 
Bristol Tannery turned out the very best 
grade of sole leather made. The products of 
the tanneries of the Penn Tanning Company 
are chiefly shipped to European markets. The 
])ro])erty of the Bristol Tannery covers an area 
of eighty-five acres, and contains, besides, the 
splendidly appointed works, several large stor- 
age rooms, and numerous dwelling houses for 
the laborers. The tannery has a capacity of 
400 sides a day, besides taking care of the by- 
products of glue and fertilizers. Owing to the 
di.sappearance of timl)er in the vicinity of the 
Bristol Tannery, and the consequent scarcity 
of the bark. Mr. Juiglish is now located at 
Stoneham. 

Mr. iMiglish is a .son of John M. English, 
and grandson of John English. The latter 
was a farmer at English Center, Lycoming 
County, Pa.; he was bom in 1789, and died 



in 1874 at the advanced age of eighty-five 
years. 

jnhn .\1. h.nglish was a man of ])roniinence 
in his district, lie was an ardent Hcmocrat. 
and ])ro\-eil himself a faithful i)uhlic serxant. 
officiating two terms as justice of the peace, 
serving, also, as school director, and filling 
most of the minor oltices of the township. He 
and his good wife reared a family of nine chil- 
dren, namely: Dan: Lawrence: Richard, sub- 
ject of this sketch: Willard: Thomas: Oscar: 
Elizabeth (Griswold): Amanda (Heath), and 
Margaret (Brown). 

On October 30, 1895. Richard English was 
united in marriage with Flora Brown, only 
daughter of John and Caroline Brown, of Sul- 
livan County, Pennsylvania. Mrs. English 
comes of an old English family that deserves 
special mention in this sketch. Her great- 
grandparents were John and Mary Brown. 
IMary died in England, leaving her husband 
a legacy in the way of five sons. The father, 
accompanied by his sons, came to the L^nited 
States, where they all became prosperous 
farmers, and their descendants are now scat- 
tered over many states. John Brown was 
born in 1774. and died in 1859. at the good 
old age of eighty-five years. 

William Brown, grandfather of Mr. Eng- 
lish's estimable wife, was one oi the five sons 
above mentioned. He received his primary 
education in England, concluding his studies 
in .America, after which he learned the butch- 
er's trade, which he followeil for a while, but 
subse(|uently discontinued to engage in farm- 
ing. He owned a handsome farm of 100 acres 
and was a man of prominence in his district. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



257 



Politically, he was a Democrat, and served 
many terms as township commissioner, — be- 
iiio- also school director and justice of the 
peace. In his religious views. Ijoth he and his 
wife were Episcopalians. He married Mary 
Clark, also of English birth, and they became 
the parents of the following eight children: 
Ellen, who remained single; John; Ann, who 
died at the tender age of two years; Sarah; 
Carroll; Caroline (Bower); Mary E. (Camp); 
and Margaret J. (Rohe). 

John Brown, father-in-law of our subject, 
was born in Sullivan County, Pa., and was 
united in marriage with Caroline Brown. 
Fortune favored them with but one child. 
Flora. 

Flora Brown was born in Forksville, Sulli- 
van County, Pa., December 6, 1867, and was 
educated at Muncy, Lycoming County, — 
graduating in 1886. After her graduation, 
she taught school for a period of six years, 
and was a very successful teacher. She en- 
joyed teaching very much and relinquished 
her work only to become the wife of the sub- 
ject hereof, and to be, in every way. his com- 
])anion. Besides assisting her husband in 
keeping the books of the company, Mrs. Eng- 
lish employs much time in cultivating her lit- 
erary talent. The interior of their home, it is 
safe to state, cannot be surpassed in beauty 
by any other in Warren County, and not least 
among the attractive features therein is little 
Helen Sarah, the only child, born December 
25, 1898, a most appropriate and welcome 
Christmas gift to her devoted parents. 

Mrs. English is a faithful member of the 
Baptist Church. Our subject is a Republican 



of the deepest dye. Socially, he is a member 
of Youngsville Lodge, No. 500, L O. O. F.; 
was formerly a member of the B. P. O. E., 
and is a Thirty-second Degree Mason, being a 
member of the Belle Isle Valley Lodge, the 
Presque Sole Lodge of Perfection, Erie, Pa., 
and the Scottish Rites of Pittsburg, Pa. The 
publishers of this book take i)leasure in stat- 
ing that a portrait of Mr. English api)cars on 
a preceding page. 



§OSEPH MARTIN, manufacturer of 
black birch and white oak "hubs," 
stands to-dav among the progressive 
and highly esteemed citizens of Tidioute, Pa., 
and is another example of a self-made man, 
who has won success by his own industry and 
untiring effort. Tlie life history of our subject 
is quite interesting and not devoid of ro- 
mance. He has worked at diversified callings, 
and his residence in Tidioute dates back to 
1864. In 1 88 1 he leased a lot there adjoining 
the site of the old Carson foundry', which was 
one of Tidioute's first business enterprises. 
On it he built a hub-factory, kiln house, etc., 
operated by steam supplied by a boiler of 50 
horse-power, generated by a 40 horse-power 
engine. The plant is one of the most exten- 
sive industries of its kind in \\'arren County, 
and turns out from 15.000 to 20,000 sets of 
hubs per year, furnishing employment for 
quite a number of men. The quality of the 
hub most extensively made is that best suited 
for all kinds of hea\v wagons, such as dravs, 
lumber wagons, etc., etc. 

The plant contains two sets of lathes and 



258 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



two sets of mortises, and tlie products are 
shipped princii)ally to tlic western states, 
where they fnid a ready market. 'I'lie hnnher, 
wliioli i-; m;iinl\- lilack l)ireli and white oak, is 
rdl obtained in Warren County, .as Mr. Mar- 
tin lia\'ins4' pre\ionsl\- ])ureliased lari^je tracts 
of timber Land, keejjs botli men and teams 
constantly emploxed in transferring tlie logs 
from liis wooded tracts to his factory. In this 
\\a\- he lias cleared mucli of his forest land, 
but the su])i)l\' of tinilier is far from being ex- 
hausted. JMr. Martin deserves great credit 
for his enteri)rise in building up such an in- 
dustry, which would he a source of pride and 
gratification to any conmiunity. 

Our subject was born at Maidstone, Kent 
County. England. December 15, 1837. He is 
a son of William and Elizabeth (Moon) Mar- 
tin, both of whom were natives of England, 
and never came to America. His father was 
a stock-keeper in England, where his death 
occurred in 1S90 at the good old age of 
eighty-seven years. His mother survived her 
husband two years — her death occurring in 
1892 at the age of eighty-four. This highly 
res])ected and worth}- coujile reared a famil_\- 
of eight children, all of whom grew to noble 
ni.anhood and wdiuanhood, and became prom- 
inent. Their names are as follows: Joseph, 
Ann, James, l-'lizabeth, (leorge.W'illiam. Tlar- 
riet, and Ste])hen. Joseph is the subject of 
these lines; .\nn became the wife of James 
])e Ciolier. and settled at De (iolier, Pa.; 
James remained in England; Elizabgth re- 
mained with her parents in England; George 
settled in Warren, Ohio; William also re- 
mained in England; Harriet became the wife 



of E. (hiftin. and settled in De Golier. Pa.: 
Ste])hen is in England. James and Stephen 
are conductors of the Southeast R. R. of Eng- 
land. Arrangements had been made for all 
members of the famih' to assemble in 
lAugland t(j celebrate in ,a worthv manner the 
golden wedding of the beloxed father and 
mother, some vears ago. but. unfortunately, 
Mrs. De Golier was called away from her 
earthly home, in 1886. and her death cast such 
a gloom over tlie entire family that the re- 
union was abandoned. 

Joseph Martin was reared in England, 
where he attended school until twel\e vears 
of age; as he was the eldest child, at thai 
age he was compelled to assist in getting the 
living, \\ hich he did by earning a little money 
in any way he could. In early manhood he 
fell in love with Miss Elizabeth Tompsett, and 
they became engaged; hut, being poor, he 
very sensibly determined to defer marriage 
for awhile and try his fortune in America, 
"the land of the free." In 1858 he immigrated 
to the United States, landing in New York 
City, but shortly afterward locating in Buf- 
falo, where he found employment as a team- 
ster, ami began his career in this country. 
After working diligently for several years and 
sa\ing every cent possible he sent for his 
affianced bride, who crossed the ocean and 
became his wife immediately after her arrival 
in Buffalo. The young coui)le removed to 
Bradford, Pa., where our subject engaged in 
refining coal oil from coal, a process which 
he had learned from a man previously import- 
ed from England for that ])urpose. Mr. 
Martin was afterward located successivelv at 




T. v. C(JL1.1NS. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



Pit Hole, Millers Farm, and finally at Tid- 
ioute, engaged in the refining of oil. He en- 
gaged in his present business, under the 
style of Martin & Homer, on a small scale 
at first, enlarging and improving it as he was 
financially able. The old Carson foundry, be- 
fore mentioned, is now rented I)v the subject 
of this sketch as storage room. 

In 1874 Mr. Martin was called upon to sus- 
tain the loss of his lieloved wife, who was 
born in the same year as he ( 1S37). and whose 
untimely death occurred in the thirty-eighth 
year of her life. Two children blessed this 
union, one son, William, who, unfortunately, 
died at the age of seventeen and one-half 
years. The other was a daughter, who died in 
infancy. Some years after the death of his 
first wife our subject formed a second matri- 
monial alliance, his last wife being Rebecca 
McConkey, a daughter of Samuel McConkey, 
of Tidioute. Three children blessed this sec- 
ond union: Annie, Ralph and Leland. 

Mr. Martin is a stanch Republican, but 
never aspired to ofifice. He is a member of 
Blue Lodge, No. 303, New York State, F. 
& A. M.; also a member and past commander 
of A. O. U. W. He is a devout Christian, 
having served as elder of the Presbyterian 
Church for more than twenty years. In 1886 
the subject of this sketch went to England 
and visited his i^arents and old boyhood 
grounds. He found many things as he had 
left them, the same old stores and merchants, 
the same barber shops and barbers of former 
days. His schoolmates he found in the same 
old route as their fathers. Though he made 
many eft'orts, it was impossible to make them 



understand how successful he had been in 

.\mcrica — how he had progressed — -being 
now a business man and owning considerable 
property. While there he was called extrava- 
gant for buying the daily papers, as only the 
rich in England indulged in such pleasures. 
Tidioute is proud of one plucky enough to 
leave that backward life and become one of its 
most progressive business men. 



rD. COLLINS. The gentleman named 
above, whose portrait is shown on 
the opposite page, is known to 
every resident in Forest County. For many 
years, besides caring for his extensive bu.siness 
interests, he has unselfishly devoted himself to 
public improvements and has actively aided in 
the furtherance of all enterprises tending to 
that end. As a friend and dutiful citizen, it 
can truthfully be said that none stand in higher 
favor with the public. 

Mr. Collins was born in Cortland, Cortland 
County, N. Y., in 1831. and is a son of Jabez 
and Adeline (Doud) Collins. In him was an 
inherent fondness for study, for both his father 
and grandfather were ])ossessed of superior 
educations. .\t a very early day a realization 
of what was expected of him in the future was 
brought home to bis mind. Ho realized that 
all depended upon his education, for without 
that his latent caiiability would not l)e brought 
out. At the age of twelve years he mapped 
out his first plans, and by working at spare in- 
tervals and small speculations he was enabled 
to complete a course of study in Cortland 



262 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Academy, thus e(|uipi)in54' himself for college 
two years in achance. At the age of fifteen 
1r' laid di)\\n rules by wliii-h he should govern 
himself, and the mastery nf his will ])i)\\er was 
])erfect. lie had ae(|uired the li.ihit of smok- 
ing, hut realizing its foolishness, he gave it up 
and ]i;is never since used the weed. He was 
eutireK dependent u])on his own resources, 
hut by the practice of economy and unceasing 
industry com]dete(l his education at the age of 
twenty. .\t the age of hfteen he began to buy 
eggs and farm produce, which he sold to com- 
mission mcich.uits in .\'ew York markets. .\ 
\ery ;muising incident occurred while he was 
thus engaged. Mr. llurlburt, tlie head of the 
Xew N'ork house will: which he was dealing, 
called at the home of our subject's father and, 
with a degree of pomp that was almost ridicu- 
lous, asked to see Mr. Collins. His surprise 
can readily be imagined when he ascertained 
th.at it was a mere boy who had been making 
all the shi|)ments to their house. .\t that time 
he recei\ed ;i \erv tlatteriiig offer from the 
lirm to bu\- in ( )hio markets, but this he de- 
clined because he wished to comjdete his edu- 
cation. I'pon lea\ing school. Judge .Ste\ens, 
who had alw;i\s taken an interest in him, ap- 
liointed him to :i ])osition on the engineering 
c<ir])s of the liinghaniton & Syracuse Rail- 
road, which was then in coin'se of construc- 
tion. .Mr. Il.all, the chief engineer, placed him 
at dri\ ing slakes at the end of the chain, but 
he rose ver_\' ra])idlv from this sulxirdinate po- 
sition to one of the highest on the corps, be- 
cause of his skill in mathematics. He became 
engineer of a division in Broome County, and 
continued as such until the railroad was com- 



pleted. A man of strict integrity and unim 
])eaciiable honesty, his work gave the great- 
est satisfaction, and his resignation was ac- 
ce]ited with much regret, he lieing offered 
great inducetneiUs to continue with the com- 
p;my. .\t th.at time m;m\- were the roads be- 
ing built in the West, and he natiuMlly thought 
there were greater o])portunities for advance- 
ment there, especially for an engineer, in 
which line his rei)utation was now established. 
.\s he was about to start for the West, he was 
induced to embark in the lumber business in 
Forest County. He started in a very small 
w;iv, h.aving bought a steam mill .and timber 
lands of John .Me.xandcr, one of the first men 
in the comity to work in that business. He 
soon moved this mill to l>ea\er \^alley. Forest 
County, Pa., on other tind)er lands, and after 
working this territory for some time, he re- 
tired and went to live on the old homestead. 
One year later, being unsatisfied with an in- 
active life, he i)urchased another tract of i,6oo 
acres in L\)rest Count}', and in 1866 built his 
lirst circular mill. He began to accjuire prop- 
erty rajjidly, and in IiX8j he moved to Nebras- 
ka, Cireen townshii), cjii a tract of 7,000 acres. 
He ])Ut in use the first band mill in that dis- 
trict and the second in the state of Pennsyl- 
vania. He is now the proprietor of the T. D. 
Collins mill, and is a partner in the following 
tirms: Collins, Darrah i*t Co.; Collins & 
Kreitler; W'atson Land «.\; Pmnber Company; 
Collins & Watson; the Buck Mills Lumber 
CompauN ; and the Salmon Creek Lumber 
Company, in the different mills, they mami- 
facture all kinds of rough lumber u]) to lofi 
feet in length, and all kinds of finished lum- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



263 



l:)er in standard sizes. The Nebraska mill is 

a circular and hand saw mill: the ntlier mills 
are all hand mills willi iilanini;- mills attached. 
in connection with the different mills they 
have twenty miles of standard ftausi^-e railroad 
and twenty miles of narrow gauge, six loco- 
motives, sixteen private cars, and six towns 
depend u]:)on them for support. They employ 
ahoitt 250 meti in connection with their mills 
;md .additional men arc employed to cut hark, 
which is sold to tanneries, .\nothcr instance 
of our sul)ject's business ])olicy is tiiat he al- 
lowed no obstacle to l)e insurmountable, no 
matter how difficult. In early times they 
could cut nothing longer tiian twent\'-six 
feet. A contract was to lie let in the \illage of 
l^'ranklin in which some of the lumber was to 
be fortv-five feet long, and this fact acted as a 
barrier to all contractors but Mr. Collins. lie 
realized the nature of the cotitract and the 
great difficulty to be encountered, but believ- 
ing that "where tiiere is a will, there is a way," 
he accejited the contract and sawed the logs 
by hand with a whip saw. Thus throughout 
life, he has followed this method of doing bus- 
iness, accepting contracts which had ]Hizzled 
others, and |)erforming them in some such 
simple m.anner. Wdien the oil business first 
sprang up, he was one of the first to build 
liarges for the trans])ortation of oil in bulk, 
l)ut this trade died out u])(in the introduction 
of pipe lines. He is now extensively engaged 
in manufacturing coal boats and barges for 
transporting coal on the Monongahela, 
Mississippi and ( )hio ri\-ers. He owns 
a fine tract of timber in the state of 
\\'ashington, some of the logs being 200 



feet long, and his son is general mana- 
ger of that property. He also own? consid- 
erable real estate in the wa\' of building lots 
ill S;m Diego, Cal.. and Cortl.and, .V. ^■. He 
was ;in organizer and is a stockholder and 
jiresident of the Citizens' National r.;mk in 
Tionesta. The h.andsome residence in which 
he resides in .Vebraska was erected in i(SS_|. 
after his ])lans. .and is <a model of convenience 
and comfort. Thus we have marked the prog- 
ress of this gentleman from his boyhood davs, 
when he sl.arted life with .absolutely no advan- 
tages and b_\' sheer ])luck and .abilit)' and force 
of character won his wa\- to the proud emi- 
nence of being the foremost among the busi- 
ness men of his district. He is a man of public 
s].)irit .and has benefited the district in a great 
m.any ways, particularly in the matter of roads, 
his skill as an engineer st.anding him in good 
stead. .\t least thirtv miles of the roads sur- 
rounding his home testify strongly as to his 
engineering skill, for the grades are all easv. 
It may also be remarked that he has stead- 
fastly refused to accept any compensation for 
his services, and has lent non-interest bearing 
money to the townships to be used in the l)et- 
terment of the roads. He is .a strong temjier- 
ance advocate and will not .allow aiiv of his 
employees to use any alcoholic drinks, in that 
ixarticular doing a vast ainoimt of good. 

( )n his mother's side, Mr. Collins traces his 
ancestry hack eight generations to Henry 
Doud, who was bom at Surrey or Kent, Eng- 
land, and in ]()_^y) came with a colonv under 
Rev. ilenr\- Whitfield, settling in Cuilford. 
Conn. While in b.ngl.and he married, and he 
.and his wile I'.lizaheth reared ciiiht children. 



264 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



as follows: Thomas; JmIhi: Jacob; Eliza- 
beth; Jeremiah; Sarah (liowcrs); Mary 
(Hughes); and Ivehecca (I'lvarts). Tic died in 
1668, about thirty years after landing in Am- 
erica. Thomas Doiid, the eldest son of Henry 
and Elizabeth Diiud. is supposed to have been 
born in England, and he mo\cd to East (iuil- 
ford, now Madison, Conn., whore he built a 
log house, the underpinnings of which still 
serve that ])uri)ose. He later built a better 
liouse, and lived there the rest of his life. He 
was a public-spirited man and was very promi- 
nent in religious affairs. He married Ruth 
Johnstiin and they had lue cliildren: Eben- 
ezer; Thomas; Joseph; Abraham; Mehitable. 
.Abraham Doud was born in 1691, and his first 
marriage was with Jane Doud, by whom he 
had four cliildren: Thomas; Samuel; .\bra- 
ham, and Sanuiel. His second wife was 
Phoel)e Kelsey. .Abraham Doud, a son of 
Abraham and Jane Doud, was born in 1718, 
and had two sons killed in the ]ve\ohitionary 
War. b'.ber and T>eiuucl by name. He married 
Mary liisho]). and they had se\'en children: 
I'teuben; .\una (Hartlett); Ruth (Dudley); 
Eber; ( )li\e (Wilcox); Henry ;uid Lemuel, 
twins. Reuben Doud. a son of Abr;iham anil 
Mary Doud, was born in 1743, and married 
I'ollv (iriffin, 1)\ whom he hacl nine children: 
h'.ber; (iaylord, a hero of the War of i8ij; 
T.ois (Harrington); Truman; .\zulah, who 
married Rev. Ithanias Kelchum; Polly, who 
first married a Air. Walton and second a Mr. 
Whitney; Vesta (Hitchcock); Henry, and 
Reuben (i. Truman Doud, tlie grandfather of 
our subject, was born in 1784, and married 
Rhoda llotchkiss, b\' whoiu he h;id seven chil- 



dren: Almira (Cook); Adeline (Collins); La- 
vinia (Townley); Truman; Enoch H.; Bela P. 
(Tusten), and Josei)hine E. ( Ihnnmedien). 
.\deline Doud, who was born in 181 1 and died 
in 1881, was united in marriage at the age of 
sixteen years to Jabez Collins, the father of 
our subject, who was born in Cortland Coun- 
ty, N. Y., in 1806. The\' were the ])arents of 
i'ne children, as follows: Maria T. (Bishop); 
James \'.; T. 1). Collins, the subject of this 
l^ersonal history; Ann L. (I^ickinson), and 
.Adeline (i. 

Mr. Collins was united in marriage with 
Mary Stanton. Religiously, he favors the 
Methodist Episcopal Church and is a liberal 
supjiorter of all religious movements, giving 
both time and money to the propagation of 
the principles of Christianity. Politically, he 
is a stanch Republican, but is too busv a man 
to accept ofifice, although he was prevailed 
upon to serve as county commissioner and to 
hold other nunor township offices. 



fOHN S. McCHESNEY is descended 
from a highlv intelligent and indus- 
trious family; he is one of the promi- 
nent citizens of T)eerfield township, Warren 
County, Pa., where he has been a resident 
many years. He was liorn at Alount Jack- 
son, Lawrence County, Pa., in 183 1, and is 
a son of William and Alary (Sharp) McChes- 
ne\' and grandson of Richard AlcChesney. 

fxichard was born in England and there re- 
cei\ed a fine education. Of his family only 
he and his brother Robert came to this coun- 
try; they at first located in Philadelphia, but 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



soon ino\e(l to Beaver County, Pa. Richard 
inircliascil a larqc farm on llic Little Heaver 
J\i\er, while Kohert i)oui;!it three hundred 
acres on the IMtr Beaver River. Richard fol- 
lowed farming, and was also largely engaged 
in stock-raising; as there were no railroad 
facilities for shipping in those early days it 
was necessary to drive the cattle to the far- 
aVay markets. Mr. McChesney always oh- 
served the Sahhath, and while driving cattle 
to the markets in Philadelphia he would never 
allow his drovers to work on that day. He 
was married to Sarah McClure and they 
reared a large family. 

William McChesney was born in Philadel- 
jjhia in 1808, and received a good education 
in the schools of that city; with Iiis father he 
moved to Beaver County, Pa., and bought a 
farm. After five years" farming he sold his 
property and moved to Mount Jackson, Law- 
rence County, Pa., and there started in mer- 
cantile business. Eight years having been 
thus silent, he purchased and cultivated a 
fine farm in Newport. Luder contract with 
the U. S. Goxernment, he carried tlie mail 
from Plain Grove to Rochester, Pa., via New 
Castle. He died in 1871, at the age of sixty- 
three years. He was joined in marriage with 
Mary Sharp, a daughter of Jolm Sharp; she 
was born in the vicinity of Darlington, Beaver 
County, Pa., in 1813. They rearetl a family 
of ten children, as follows: John S., Tames, 
Robert, RicliJU'd, Jose])h, Sarah J., .Martha, 
Maggie, Essie and Lenemnia. James is a 
successful fruit growler in California; Robert 
is now an invalid through a wound received 
during the Ci\il War; he was mavor of New 



Castle, Pa., eight years: Joseph and Sarah J. 
are deceased; Maggie married a Mi'. ,McBur- 
ney, and Bessie married a .Mr. Wallace. The 
two last were teachers for man)- _\ears in the 
New Castle .\cademy. 

John S. AfcChesney was intellectually 
trained in the public schools and also at New 
Castle Academy, and completed his education 
under Prof. Hutchman, the principal of the 
high school, wiio conducted a select class. He 
taught school in New Castle three years, and 
then engaged as a clerk in the dry goods store 
of Philip & Cochran, .\fter remaining in that 
cajjacity si.x years he was forced to resign 
on account of ill health, as he was unable to 
endure the close confinement of such work. 
He then dealt for a time in butter and farm 
produce, in which he was very successful, 
afterwards buying out the grocery store of 
Joseph Long, in New Castle. Three years 
later he sold out and bought a farm near Pu- 
laski, Lawrence County. This he in turn 
sold and moved to \"enango County, where 
he rented a farm. Having spent si.x years 
there, he moved to Warren County. al)out 
i8()9. 

John S. McChesne)' was united in marriage 
with ALary J. Greenlee of Venango County, 
Pa., and they reared nine children, namelv: 
Laura, deceased; Vincent; Eugene: Willis: 
Frank; Eva; Essie, deceased; Gertrude, de- 
ceased; Cora, and Joseph. Frank started in 
the lumber trade about 1897 'lud is doing 
a large business, using over sixty te.inis; the 
other sons are farming or in the lumber busi- 
ness. Eva and Essie have both taught school 
in this district and at the Tidioute Normal 



266 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



School. Religiously, Mr. McChesney is an 
earnest worker in the rresl)yterian Church; in 
politics, he was fcunierU a KciJuhlicau. hut 
now fa\t)rs i'rohihition. He was a taker of 
the census in iSSo and was apix.iinted ])iist- 
niaster of Faguntlus, Warren County, I'a. 
The subject of our sketch is a well-read and 
intelligent ni;ni and believes in the pi-onioticin 
(if echicatinnal instilutidus. and in the ni;iin- 
tenance ol \\hale\er tends tn enliance the 
general welfare. He is a loyal citizen, has a 
host of accpKiintances, and is esteemed as a 
good neighhiii- and friend. 




'[LAS S. WI'.AD. a leading merchant 
and highly esteemed citizen of Spring 
Creek. Warren Conntw Pa., is a nati\e of 
\\'aterford. I'".rie Countw Pa., and was Ixjrn 
Jime J. 1S3S, a son of Jehial and Reljecca 
(Pratt) Wead. 

The paternal grandfather was Eli Wead, 
who was a prominent farmer in Massachu- 
setts, hut went, in later life, tu Waterford, 
i'a.. where he honght ])roperty and li\ed until 
his death, which occin-red, in i8(^i_^, at the age 
of seventy-tw(i. lie married Hannah P>il- 
lings. Jehial. father of the subject hereof, was 
born in Massachusetts, and moved to \\'ater- 
ford witli his f.ather, assisting him for several 
years on the farm, until his marriage with Re- 
becca Pratt, a daughter of Timothy Pratt. 
This estimable lady was born at W'aterford, 
where she recei\ed very good scholastic in- 
struction and taught school until her marriage 
with the father of Silas S. Four children re- 



sulted from this union, nameb': Betsv 
(Wead); Silas S. ; Medora (Thomi)son); and 
jehial, who died at the early age of two years. 
Mr. Wead was a stanch Whig, but never filled 
;iny important oftice. He died at the early 
age (jf thirty-three, but his wife still survives 
him and is now living with her son, Silas S., 
at Spring Creek, 

Silas S. Wead, the subject of this biogra- 
l)hy, received a meager schooling, for he was 
obliged to leave school as soon as he was 
able to work, as his father's death had 
left the family in \ery limited circum- 
stances. He was a bright, willing youth and 
eontriljuted his share toward the sujiport 01 
the family. It has always been a source of 
pride to Mr, Wead that he has made himself 
what he is, for at an early age he began the 
struggle with little else than a determined will 
to succeed and he has now achieved an envia- 
ble reputation throughout the county and is 
known as one of the most influential men in 
that section of the state. His first work was 
that of learning the trade of wagon-making, 
at Union City, Pa., in the shops of D. Brown's 
Sons, and it was not long until he was an ex- 
pert workman in that line of business. He 
remained with that firm until the war broke 
out, and on April 8, 1861, he enlisted for three 
months in what later became known as the 
S^rd Reg., Pa. \'ol. Inf. At the expiration of 
his term he returned home, remaining until 
August, 1862, when, thinking that his services 
were again needed, he re-enlisted in the iCith 
Reg., Pa. Cavalry, and from that time until 
the final battle at Apjjomattox he took part in 
almost every engagement. Very singular to 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



267 



relate, in all of the tiftv-ti\e liattlcs in wliicli 
Mr. W'ead particijjated he escaped without a 
single iiijur\-; three horses were, however, 
killed outrii^ht under him and two were 
injured. When Mr. W'ead enlisted he served 
as a pri\-ate, hut. as in all other undertakings, 
his ahility was so soon recognized that he was 
promoted to the rank of sergeant, which po- 
sition he retained until the close of the war. 

After the close of the war Mr. W'ead was 
engaged in the lumher business at Union City, 
Pa., for eight years; he moved to Spring 
Creek in 1873 and entered the grocery 1)usi- 
ness, securing extensive tratle and becoming 
well known for his upright dealings with all. 
After fi\e years in that line he again took up 
his former trade of Ijlacksmith and wheel- 
wright. He started the firm of W'ead & Hop- 
kins and later bouglit out his partner's in- 
terest and took as partner John Daniels. This 
business was conducted for eight years under 
the firm name of W'ead & Daniels, when they 
sold out to Mr. A. I. Hopkins, Air. W'ead's 
former partner. Later that gentleman rented 
to Mr. Sandburg, and. upon Mr. Sandburg's 
retirement, Mr. \\'ead started his present busi- 
ness. In 1 89 1 he erected the present build- 
ing and he now does an extensive business. 
He handles a large line of buggies, wagons, 
farm implements, pumps, phosphates, etc., 
and keeps as well a general repair store, the 
repository, or show rooms, being in an ad- 
joining building erected for that ])urpose. 

Mr. W'ead married, in 1862, Elizabeth A. 
Rassman, wdio was born in BufYalo, X. Y., 
and they have been blessed with the follow^ing 
children: Eunice B., Burt G., and Claude S. 



luniice 11. taught school until her marriage 
with .Mr. X. .\. Woodruff. I'.urt d. received 
his primary education in the district schools 
and afterward took a business course at Corry 
Business College, graduating as bookkeeper, 
and afterward taking up that work in con- 
nection with telegrai)hy. He then accepted 
a position with the Union Bridge Co., of Mis- 
sissippi, and on Januar\- 26, 1897, met with an 
accidental death, which cut short a career of 
great prtimise. Claucle S. also received his 
primary education in the district school and 
took a similar course at the Corry Business 
College; he is now l)ookkeeper for the Buffalo 
Manufacturing Comi)any, where he lias 
charge of the estimate department. Mr. 
W'ead has been a faithful worker in the Re- 
publican party and has held almost exery of- 
fice in the township, being at present town- 
ship treasurer. He is a member of the Co- 
luml)us Lodge, X"o. 264, F. & A. M.. and was 
the first commander of the J. W'. Baker Post. 
Xo. 615, G. A. R.; on his becoming post com- 
mander he accepted the office of adjutant, 
which he still retains. In April, 1899, he was 
ajjpointed postmaster by President Mclvinlex'. 



fff^OSEPH HILL, proprietor of the foun- 
dry and machine shop on Fourth street, 
and a highly respected citizen of War- 
ren, Pa., was born January 16, 1832. in Ches- 
tershire. England, a son of Jonathan L. Hill, 
of Chestershire, whose death occurred in 1834. 
\\'hile Joseph was very young the family 
moved to Lancastershire and he attended tlie 
public schools until he was nine years old, 



268 



HOOK or BIOGRAPHIKS 



wlien he went to work in a woolen mill, re- 
maining there for two years, ami at the end 
of that time retnrned to school for eight 
months. He then was apprenticed to the ma- 
chine trade at Oldham. Lancastershirc, serv- 
ing seven years, during which time he at- 
tended night school. .\t the end of his ap- 
prenticeshij) he niovctl to .^lalexhridge. and 
worked there as a machinist until he was thir- 
ty-two years old. .\l this time the cotton 
trade was in a stagnant condition owing to 
the .American Civil War. and Joseph, with a 
party of fourteen workers, decided to try their 
luck in the United States, leaving for that des- 
tination in April, 1863. 

They set sail on the vessel Anglo-Sa.xon. 
but encountering fearfully rough weather, the 
vessel was wrecked as they neared Newfound- 
land, and 265 were lost, including the caj)- 
tain and part of the crew. Of Mr. Hill's 
party, including himself, six were saved. Six 
life-saving l)oats were launched; three were 
dashed to ])ieces, and the remaining three, 
after drifting about for twenty-four hours, 
landed their occu])anls on the shore, where 
not e\en a dwelling or human being could be 
seen. .Mr. Hill did not enter an\- of the boats, 
but jumped o\erl)o.ard. and with the assistance 
o{ the waxes and of a ro])e which had been 
fixed on a i)oint on Cape Race, where the 
wreck occurred, he managed to reach the 
shore in safety. On searching around for 
help tiie party sa\ed foimd a lighthouse where 
they remained for the night. The next day 
they set sail in a vessel named "lUoodhound," 
and after landing at St. John's, Newfoundland, 
and remaining three days, they sailed on to 



Montreal. From there Mr. Hill went to New 
^'ork City, whence, after a short stay, he pro- 
ceeded to ]>rowns\ille, Pa., and engaged in 
work with the firm of Snowden & Mason, re- 
maining in their emj)lo\' one year. He next 
moved to Bellefonte, Center County, Pa., and 
took charge of the engineering shop of Todd 
iS.' Duncan for one year. At the end of that 
time he went to W'illiamsport. Pa., and then 
to Renovo, in the interest of the Pennsyhania 
R. R. company. 

Mr. Hill spent twenty-seven years with this 
company, nine years in Erie, Pa., and the re- 
maining eighteen in Warren, Pa. He went to 
Warren in 1873. and in that year the com- 
pany gave him charge of the round house 
there, which position he held until 1888. He 
then started in business for himself on Fourth 
street, in the general foundrx' and machine 
line, which he still continues. \\ hile in Eng- 
land "Sir. Hill married, on March 20. 1853. 
Jane Walker, daughter of John Walker of 
Mansfield, England. One child has blessed 
this union, namely: John, born Jamiary 20, 
1854, who married Alice House, daughter of 
Robert House, of Warren, Pa. They have 
one child, Dndlex'. John Hill is associated 
with his father in business. 

Mr. Hill is a member of the .Masonic order 
and has been for over thirty years. In i8(j4 
he was elected councilman from the fomlh 
ward for the borough of Warren, and at the 
expiration of the term he was re-elected, serv- 
ing, in all, six \ears. In jiolitics he is a stanch 
Democrat, and takes an acti\e interest in all 
the affairs of the town. The family are mem- 
bers of the Episcopal Church. Mr. Hill has. 




CllAKLKS S. KNAIIK 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



since Iiis stay in Warren, made a liost of 
friends, wlio are always deeply interested in his 
successes, lie is a man of sound judgment 
and stcrlinj^ intej^rity. 




HARLES S. KNABB, whose portrait 
appears on the ])receding ]Jage, en- 
joys tlie distinction of being one of 
the youngest business men of Warren bor- 
ough. In J893, when only twenty years old, 
he associated himself with his father in the 
manufacture of barrels, locating at that time 
in Warren, where he assumed the entire man- 
agement of the Warren plant. He is said to 
lie the youngest business man in the county, 
holding such a responsible position. Under 
his management the plant has increased the 
volume of its business in a marked degree, 
w hich fact alone is ample evidence of his good 
executive ability. The plant is situated in 
East Warren, along the line of the W. N. Y. 
& P. Railroad, and is one of the most com- 
plete of its kind in the United States, having 
been lately refitted with the very best of 
modern machinery and appliances for the ex- 
tension of the work. Tliey use nothing but 
the very best of material and are shipping 
from 700 to 800 barrels daily to local and for- 
eign refiners. Another of their products is 
the tierce used for packing lard. Tliey also 
have a factory in Maryland, where they manu- 
facture barrel staves. It is proper to say that 
the head ofifice is located in Maryland and the 
business is conducted under the firm name of 
Krug. Garret & Company. All the citizens of 
Warren are proud of the fact that such an 



entcri^rise is located in their midst, and Mr. 
Knabb's successful management of this gi- 
gantic enterjjrise has elicited many well-de- 
served compliments from admirers. 

The paternal grandfather of our subject was 
of German descent and was born near Read- 
ing, Pa., receiving a very liberal education at 
that place. After leaving school he learned 
the cooper's trade and very soon made an en- 
viable reputation for himself, practically lay- 
ing the foundation of what is now one of the 
largest barrel factories in the United States. 
His son, .Albert Knabb, father of Charles S., 
was born in Berk.-; County, Pa., in 1844, and 
was educated in the schools of Reading, Pa. 
Choosing the occupation that had made his 
father's name famous, he also learned the 
cooper's trade, and very soon succeefled to his 
father's mantle. The barrels manufactured 
I)y him slill hold as high a rank as any that 
come into the markets of the world. 

May 4, 1861, he responded to our country's 
call for volunteers and enlisted in Company 
D, 9th Reg., Pa. Vol. Inf. After seeing con- 
siderable service the arduous duties and hard- 
ships of camp life began to affect his health 
and unfit him for army service; he was there- 
fore honoral>ly discharged on a surgeon's cer- 
tificate setting forth physical disability. After 
a sojourn at home he recovered his health and 
again displayed his patriotism by re-enlisting 
July 13, 1864. in Company E, 75th Reg., Pa. 
Vol. Inf., under the brave Capt. Packington, 
and served until the close of the war, receiv- 
ing his discharge from the sen'ice July 28, 
1865. at Raleigh, X. C; he held at that time 
the rank of sergeant. In politics he has al- 



272 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



ways Ijeen a standi Republican. In his relig- 
ious \'ie\vs he coincides with the Methodists 
and is a devoted member of that church. He 
was united in marriage with IMary Sebring, 
a daugliter of William Schring. 'i"he\- reared 
seven children; Charles S.; lulward; Robert; 
Sally; J. G. Blaine; Lloyd; and Marie. 

Charles S. Knahb was burn in Jefferson 
County, I'a.. December 30. 1S73. He re- 
cei\ed his ]irimary educition in the public 
schools of his native county — concluding his 
studies at the Clarion Normal — and subse- 
(iuentl\- joined his father in the barrel indus- 
try, as before mentioned. He sought and 
won for his wife Anna M. Schauz, a daughter 
of Joh.n Schauz. a worthy and well-known cit- 
izen of Warren; one little daughter now 
blesses their home — Marie, born March 28, 
1897. 




RS. ^lATHIAS SCHULER (Sa 
)me W'eintz) widow of Mathias 
'Schuler. is a very well-known and 
highly respected resident of that part of Cone- 
wango townshij) in Warren County, Pa., 
known as "S'ankerbush. Mathias Schuler, de- 
ceased husband of the subject hereof, was born 
in Alsace, Germany, in 1834, and was a son 
of John and Emiline (Walter) Schuler, both 
of whom were also born in Alsace. John 
Schuler was schooled in Germany, where he 
followed the occupation of farming. At the 
age of fifty Jie came to America, about the 
year 1840, or 1841. Ui)on his arrival in the 
United States he sought \Varren County, Pa., 
and settled in Yankerbush. He purchased a 
tract of land upon which he erected a log- 



house for the accommodation of himself and 
family. This property is still the homestead 
of the Schuler famil)-, although better and 
more comfortable buildings have been added, 
and the place has been otherwise imprci\e<i. 
(3n this farm John coiuinued to reside and to 
follow agricultural pursuits, until he attained 
the very advanced age of ninety-six years, 
when death overtook him. He married Emi- 
line Walter, a daughter of Jacob Walter, and 
they reared a family of seven children: John; 
Jacol); Phili]); George; Mathias; Margaret 
(Somers), and Emily (Hertzel). 

Mathias Schuler was brought to America 
by his parents at the age of seven years. He 
was eilucated in the district schools, obtaining 
as good an education as the neighl)orhood af- 
forded. After leaving school he was em- 
ployed in the lumlier forests, wliich at that 
time were very extensive. Politically he was 
a Democrat and although he never sought of- 
fice, he was urged by his friends to accept the 
position of township treasurer. This he did 
and served for two terms, giving perfect satis- 
faction. He declined, however, to accept any 
other ofifice. except that of school director, 
which he filled for nine years. But although 
he held himself aloof from further official 
cares, he always took great interest in the 
|)urification of the party i)olitics. In religion 
he favored the doctrines of the Lutheran 
Church. In 1853, he met, and became enam- 
ored with Salome Weintz, a very attractive 
young lady, who was quite popular in the dis- 
trict, and after a successful wooing, they were 
married in 1854. They settled on a farm now 
occupied by Mrs. Schuler, where they con- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



273 



ducted a very profitable business, and lived 
happily for more than forty years, when a ter- 
rible accident deprived the estimable wife of 
her beloved companion. On the e\e of De- 
comber 14, 189C1, as he was returning home 
from a Inisiness trip to Warren, and was driv- 
ing along the "flats," he had occasion to cross 
the railroad track at two points. Owing to a 
very dense fog he did not observe an ap- 
proaching train which bore down and struck 
him, killing him almost instantly. It was a 
sad shock not only to his family, but to the 
whole community, as he was greatly beloved 
by all who knew him. 

Philip W'eintz. father of Mrs. Schuler. was 
a native of Alsace, and sought a home in the 
United States in 1838. He was a very success- 
ful farmer and lumberman, being a near neigh- 
bor to the Schulers. 

Mrs. Schuler"s mother was, before marriage, 
Wilhelmina Messner, a daughter of Christian 
Messner, of Alsace, Germany. Her father 
came to America, settled in Warren County, 
Pa., and engaged in farming. He purchased a 
farm which still bears his name, and built a 
very substantial and comfortable dwelling 
ujjon it. At his death he was succeeded by his 
son, who was in turn succeeded by his son, 
who now occupies the farm. Wilhelmina at- 
tended school in Germany, but came with her 
husband and j^-ireuts to Warren Count\-. Pa., 
having borne her husiiand one child before 
leaving the fatherland. 

Salome, the subject of this sketch, was born 
in .Vlsace, Germany, in 1835, and was brought 
to this country at the tender age of three 
vears. She was an attendant of the district 



schools, and in the course of her girlhood, was 
married to Mathias Schuler. She has a kind 
and gentle disposition and still retains the 
fricndshi]) of those she met in her younger 
days. With the assistance of her sons she 
manages affairs on the farm, and gives evi- 
dence of ])ossessing unusual business (jualifica- 
tions, the farm under her care being one of 
the linest in the country. She and her hus- 
band reared a family of five children, besides 
having lost four. Those deceased are: Phil- 
lipine; Abner; Minnie, and Samuel. Those 
living are: Minnie; Samuel; Fred; Gilbert 
and Lyle. Minnie, the only living daughter 
of our subject, was born Septemljer 15, 1866. 
In 1885 she became the wife of Benjamin 
Smith, son of W. W. Smith, a well-known 
farmer of Conewango township. She now re- 
sides on the Smith farm. Samuel is a laborer 
by occupation; he married Blema Hopkins, a 
daughter of John Hopkins, a prosperous fruit- 
grower of .\ckley Hollow. They ha\e three 
children: L_\le, born August 4. 1892; Hugh, 
born .Vpril 2. 1895, and Emory, born March 4, 
1897. 

Fred was born October 6, i86g, was an at- 
tendant of the district schools, after which he 
assisted his father in the care of the farm. Al- 
though still a young man he is already making 
an enviable name for himself in that vicinity. 
He now ably a,ssists his mother in the manage- 
ment of the farm. In 1893 he married Eunice 
Bailey, a daughter of Benjamin and Catherine 
(Hall) Bailey. Her mother was a native of 
Ireland; her father was a native of England, 
and was engaged in the lumber liusiness for 
twenty \ears. but of late has jjurchased a farm 



274 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



in Yankerbusli. Eunice has presented her 
husl)an(l with tlirce cliilih-en: Clarence. Mar- 
tiia. and (lion. 

(iill)crt is sinj^lc, and assists on the farm. 
L\k'. the youngest son of Mrs. Sclniler. not 
being' strong enough for farm work, is taking 
a course of business instruction, and is des- 
tined for a connnercial career. 




L'RTON L. (;.\LE. president of the 
( ialc Manufacturing Company, tlic 
largest woodworking plant in War- 
ren, and one of the largest of its kind in the 
world, can boast of lieing a direct descendant 
of the landed gentry of England. Mr. (iale 
is a tyi)ical American business man, energetic 
and wide-awake. high-princii)led and honor- 
al)le. agreeable and courteous to all: in short, 
he is of the type that has made the American 
manufacturer known and respected all o\er 
the world. 

Burton L. Gale was born at Barre, Ver- 
mont, January 25, 1859, and received his early 
education in the schools of that place, after- 
ward graduating from Goddard (Barre) Semi- 
nary. Ha\ing completed his education Mr. 
Gale journeyed to Michigan, wliere he was 
employed by Hood, Gale & Co., subsequently 
becoming a member of that firm. In 1890 
they removed their works to Kinzua, Warren 
County, Pa. In 1892 they moved again — this 
time to Warren, Pa., where the business has 
remained ever since. 

Too nuich commendation camiot be be- 
stowed on the head of this firm, Mr. B. L. 
Gale. Prom the outset he has had to contend 



with difficulties that would have appalled a 
less courageous man. Twice within three 
years the entire ])lant has been destroyed b_\' 
lire, but each time he was ecpial to the occa- 
sion, and met disaster with an unfailing cour- 
age that speaks volumes in his favor and 
makes the business what it is. The present 
])lant is one of the most thoroughlv ecjuipped 
in the I'nited .States. co\ering li\e acres of 
ground. 

P>urton P. Gale is without a doubt the best- 
born man in Warren County. He is the de- 
scendant of an ancient family and a proud one. 
which, within the last four centuries, has ])ro- 
duced a large number of men who, liy their 
ability and remarkable intellectual qualities, 
have won fame for themselves and honor for 
their kindred. The following facts concern- 
ing that illustrious and ancient family are 
gleaned from a volume compiled by George 
Gale, LL. D. (pul)lished by Leith & Gale in 
Ga!es\-ille, \\'isconsin, in 1866). entitled "The 
Gale Family Records." 

The first reliable and authentic information 
regarding a member of the family is taken 
from the "Domesday Book." which was com- 
piled in 1085, by William the Conqueror. 
There is mention made of the Gale family, who 
were, undoubtedly, landed gentry of England 
before the Conc|uest, and their estates were 
confiscated after that event. There is, also, 
mention made of several branches in different 
counties, l)ut after losing their land their 
names do not appear among the "landeil 
gentry" until 1273, when they again figure in 
a document called the "Hundred Rolls." The 
line is now firmly established, for it is treated 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



275 



at length in "Burke's Dictionary of the Land- 
ed Gentry of England," and commences with 
a mention of a James Gale of Thirntoft, near 
Scranton, in Yorkshire, A. D. 1523. 

The first American representative is one 
Richard Gale, who appears as the purchaser of 
a "homestall" t)f f> acres in W'atertown, Mass., 
in i()40. He sailed from London April 27, 
1635, in a ship named the "Elizabeth & Ann." 
The ship first went to Barbadoes, one of 
the West Indian islands. Before leaving Eng- 
land he took the oath of allegiance to the Brit- 
ish Crown, and was made a member of the 
Church of England, according to data col- 
lected by Lewis \V. Olds of Erie, Pa., also a 
member of the family. The list of passengers 
who embarketl on board the "Elizabeth & 
Ann" contained 89 males and 19 females, vary- 
ing in age from sixteen to twenty-seven years; 
almost the entire company went first to Bar- 
badoes, but later settled in New England. 

Richard Gale was a very devout man, but 
probably could not write, as his mark is seen 
in his will, — a \'ery quaint document that was 
drawn up January 2. U179, and sworn to in 
court the same date. His wife was named 
Mary, and they were blessed with four chil- 
dren. 

-Abraham Gale was the eldest son of Rich- 
ard Gale, and was born in i(')43. On Septem- 
ber 3, if>73. he was united in marriage with 
Sarah Fiske, a daughter of Nathan Fiske, of 
Watertown, Mass. October 11, 1682, he was 
admitted a freeman and was a selectman of the 
town in 1706 and 17 18. He died at the hoine- 
stead Septeml)er 15. 17 18. His wife, Sarah, 
survived h.im ten years, dying May 14, 1728. 



They reared a family of fifteen children, who 
were provided for in the terms of his will. 
Their eldest son, also named Abraham, was 
born in 1674, and at his father's death suc- 
ceeded to the estate. He was married Decem- 
ber 6, 1699, to Rachel Parkhurst, daughter of 
John and Abigail Parkhurst, of W'atertown, 
Mass. He farmed extensively on the home- 
stead and was a selectman in 1718; later he 
sold his estate to his son Samuel, and took a 
mortgage, conditioned for the sup])ort of him- 
self and wife for the remainder of their lives. 
They were both living when Samuel made his 
will, and in its terms provision is made for 
his honored father and mother. No record is 
left of Abraham Gale's death. Few parents 
ever reared a more important family of sons; 
they all became wealthy; part of them served 
in the French and Inflian, and Revolutionary 
wars, and each l)ecame the head of a large 
family. His family consisted of eight chil- 
dren; among them was Isaac Gale. 

Capt. Isaac Gale, great-great-grandfather of 
our subject, was born January 15. 1708, and 
was married, about 1731. to Judith Sawyer of 
Framington. to which ])lace he removed in 
1732, after his first child, Isaac, Jr.. was born. 
But few items of his history have been left at 
this late date, but the muster rolls of the 
French and Indian \\'ar show that as lieuten- 
ant of a compauN' he made a campaign, in 1757. 
for the relief of Fort William Henry, but news 
of the surrender reached them at Shef^eld. and 
they were ordered back. They marched 113 
miles and were absent se\enteen da}s. His 
brother, nephew and son were all in the same 
company. March i, 1763. he was apjiointed 



276 



BOOK OK BIOGRAPHIES 



by the Cimoiiuir of Massachusetts to the rank 
of captain of the same company, and lielil that 
office with honor until lie resigned, in 17(19. 
In those days of wars and raids the ol'lice was 
regarded as the most important in town. He 
left iiis sword to iiis son Isaac, with instruc- 
tions to have it preserved by his descendants 
of that name, and in 18(^14 it was in the hands 
of Isaac Gale of Royalston, who presented it 
to Galesville University of Wisconsin for pre- 
ser\ation as a family relic, — as his son Isaac, 
who would liaxe been entitled to the sword, 
died in 1H54. 

Elisha Gale, great-grandfather of our sub- 
ject, was ])orn in Massachusetts November 26, 
1743, and was married to Mary Singletary, 
daughter of Hon. Amos Singletary, of Sutton, 
Mass. He subsequently removed to Prince- 
ton, where most of his children were born, 
after which time he removed to Barre, Ver- 
mont, where he died, Januarj' 17, 1827. When 
a l)o_\- he enlisted in Capt. Juduthan Baldwin's 
toni])any and made the campaign to Crown 
Point in the l-"rcnch and Indian War. On the 
breaking out of the Revolutionary War he 
was one of the fighting patriots, and on the 
Lexington al.irm, Ajiril 19, 1773, he entered 
Capt. Boaz Moore's company and marched to 
Concord and Cambridge. March i, I77('), he 
was commissioned 2d lieutenant in Capt. Jo- 
seph Sargent's company of the 3rd Continen- 
tal Regiment, under Col. Nathan Tyler, and 
re-commissioned in the 2d Ivegiment, com- 
manded by Col. Josiah Whitney. He reared 
a family of fourteen children. 

The Gale family at this time took a very 
prominent part in the afYairs of the country. 



There is record of Capt. .\braham Gale having 
marched from Princeton to W orces'.er. closed 
the court house and coiupelled the court to 
adjourn; .after which tliev returned to their 
iKjines. ( )n the tirst of the next in(.inlh the 
same company, with many others from differ- 
ent parts of the state, assembled at Worcester, 
under the leadership of Daniel Sh.arp, com- 
pelled the court to adjourn, and signed a ]ieti- 
tion that no courts be held until after the next 
session of the legislature, in May (the time of 
this demonstration being about the lotli of 
December); they were then dismissed and or- 
dered to their homes. 

Capt. Henry Gale was an active soldier in 
Shay's Rebellion, and after distinguished ser- 
vice he, with a Mr, Chamberlain, was tried 
upon the charge of treason; Mr. Chamberlain 
was acquitted, but Capt. Gale was found guilty 
and sentenced to be taken to the gaol of the 
commonwealth whence he came, thence to the 
[jlace of execution, and there to be hanged by 
the neck until he be dead. \\ hen the day for 
the e.xecution arrived the sheriff", with great 
solemnity, marched the old soldier to the gal- 
lows, the rope was adjusted around his neck, 
solemn prayers were said by the clergy, and 
when all was ready to send the soul of the pris- 
oner into eternity the sheriff cautiously drew 
froiu his pocket the Governor's reprieve, and 
read it aloud to the gaping crowd. The jiris- 
oner was then withdrawn, and soon after fully 
])ardoned. Thus was the majesty of the law 
\indicated. Judge Ward's threat executed, the 
novelty of a "hanging bee" witnessed, and the 
life of an innocent and heroic soldier saved 
from an ignominious death by the executive 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



277 



pardon, l;ase(l on the theory that "Laws must 
I)e general, l)iit general laws sometimes con- 
vict the innocent of a crime." This event, 
however, so angered his relatives and other 
patriotic soldiers that they moved away from 
the state altt)gether, seeking that liberty and 
enjoyment of privileges that had been denied 
them in their native state. The Gale family 
settled at Barre, Vermont. 

John Gale of Barre, Vermont, grandfather 
of the subject of this sketch, was born August 
5, 1773, was united in marriage with Emily 
Bancroft at Warwick, Mass., in 1801, and 
reared a family of nine children, viz: Clarissa, 
born September 11, 1802; Gardner, born 
March 13, 1804; Luthera, born June 2, 1806; 
Augusta, born September 9, 1808: John, born 
November 11, 181 1; William, born February 
28, 1813: Maria, born March 5, 1814; Lewis, 
born Jul}' 22. 1817, and Eunice Sabrina, born 
September 17, 1824. 

Lewis Gale, father of our subject, was born 
on the old homestead at Barre, Vermont, 
July 17, 1817, where he has since resided, be- 
ing a man of sterling qualities and the pos- 
sessor of considerable property. He married 
Lucinda Pettingill, daughter of Joshua Pet- 
tingill, who was born at Barre, \'ermont. 
They were blessed with a family of six chil- 
dren, who w-ere named: Clarence .\.. liorn Au- 
gust 19, 1843; Cortland A., Ijorn April 29, 
1843; Martin P., born November 20, 1846; 
Elgin J., born Seiitcmbcr 7, 1850; Burton L.; 
Lillian (Eaton), 

Burton L. Gale, subject of this sketch, was 
united in marriage with Gertrude Ormsbee. 
daughter of Elhannan Ormsbee, a native of 



East Montijclier, Vermont. Unto them have 
been born four children, namely: Ashley H.; 
Lewis B., deceased; Burton L., and Ches- 
ter O. 

He is an earnest advocate of the principles 
outlined in the platform of the Republican 
l)arty, and works for the advancement of party 
interests. Not being a seeker after office, he 
is thoroughly disinterested and wholly sincere. 
He and his family attend the Episcopal 
Church, being liberal contributors to all 
church needs and charities. 




RNEST HIGHHOUSE, a highly 
respected resident of Pleasant township, 

Warren County, Pa., and a promi- 
nent brick-manufacturer, enjoys the distinc- 
tion of having built and operated a plant 
which is an object of pride not only to the town 
and county, but also to the State of Pennsyl- 
vania. He was born in Saxe-Gotha. Saxony, 
Germany, June 3, 1824, and is the eldest son 
of Dietrich Highhouse, also a native of Sax- 
ony, as was the grandfather of Ernest. The 
subject of this sketch was educated in the 
schools of his native country, being an ad- 
\anced pu|iil therein. After lca\ing school, 
he learned the tra<lc of brick-making and con- 
tinued to work at that occupation until he 
attained tlie age of twenty-four years. On 
April II, 1848. he left (lermany in a sailing 
\essel. and after a stormy and perilous voyage, 
during which be nearly lost his life, he suc- 
ceeded in reaching America, landing on May 
26, 1848. 

He first located in Haverstraw, Rockland 



278 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Countw X. v.. wliere he worked five years, 
subsequently removing to Honcsdale, Wayne 
County, I'a., wlicre he jjurcliased t;roiuid and 
niachinory. and hcoan tlic niamifactiu-e of 
hricks. reniainins^- llicre in that business for a 
period of sevLUtocn years. After (hsposing of 
his interests in tliat place lie went to Warren 
County. I'a.. November lo. 1870. locating in 
Pleasant township, where, in partnership with 
his brother, he again engaged in the manu- 
facture of bricks. After a few years, he pur- 
chased the interest of his brother, and became 
the sole owner of the extensive works which 
he now controls and operates. The plant is 
e(|uippcd throughout with automatic machin- 
erv, and besides being one of the largest in the 
state, is one of the most complete of its kind 
in the country. Only the very best quality 
of l)rick is made, and the kilns have a capacity 
of 2,500,000 brick. The lirick market of Oil 
City, Tidioute, and Titusville is supplied from 
this ]jlant. besides that (if all surrounding 
towns for many miles. 

Mr. Highhouse 1)uilt a house on his farm, a 
comfortable dwelling of the old style; on 
l'"ebruary 9. 189S, this house was totally de- 
stroved by tire an<l shortly after he began the 
erection of the handsome house he now oc- 
cu])ies. It is constructed entirely of brick, 
and is one of the most beautiful residences in 
Warren County. It is of the most modern 
style of architecture, of a striking and impos- 
ing type, and is surrounded by beautiful 
grounds and walks. The interior arrange- 
ments are of a pleasing and decidedly comfort- 
able nature. (Ireat credit is due to Mr. High- 
house for buikling such a handsome residence; 



it is not oidy a monuiuent of his ability and 
skill, and a source of comfort and delight to 
his family, but is an orn;mient to the conntx", 
anil spreads his f;nne far be\ond. 

I)ietricli I lighhouse. father of our subject, 
was born and educated in his native country. 
.Saxonw .\fter leasing school he learned the 
trade of crockery manuf.actui'e, and eventually 
started in business for himself, laying the foun- 
dation of what ultimately became a very ex- 
tensive business. In his \()unger da\'s he as- 
sociated himself with the militar)- fortimes of 
his country, joining a guerrilla companv. who 
proxicled theiuseb'es with luirses ;uid unifonus, 
and acted without ])ay. Dietrich won great 
distinction for hiiuself in that ser\-ice. 

Coming out of the service, he again applied 
himself to Ijusiness. Margaret Weaver, of 
Saxony, became his wife and they reared three 
children: Ernest, the subject hereof; Will- 
iam, ami Charlotte (Helbic). 

On August 10. 1853, Ernest Highhouse was 
united in marriage with Frederica Schneider, 
a daughter of Christian Schneider. She was 
born in Walbeck, Cenn.any. in the _\ear 183-I,. 
.and was partly educated in her native ])lace. 
but fmished her education after arri\ing in 
.\merica. This union was blessed with the 
following nine children: William; Henry; 
Louis; John; Louisa (i'eterson); Mar}- (Hon- 
hart); Pauline; Albert, and llertha. The_\- all 
favor the Lutheran Church. 

Mr. Highhouse is an earnest and aggressive 
politician, and has l)een frciiuently besought to 
acccjit otlice. lie is an independent Deitio- 
crat, and has served as township treasurer for 




MAJOR KLLIOT M. Cl'RTlS. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



281 



two terms, and as road commissioner one 
term, besides liaving been a member of the 
council for eight years. 




AjOi^ ELLIOT :\r. CURTIS, 
wliose death in February, 1894, se- 
verely depressed those who had 
long been his associates in business and his 
friends and intimates in social circles, was one 
of the most esteemed citizens of Tidioute, 
Warren County, Pa. He was for twenty-iive 
years cashier of Grandin Bros.' Bank and was 
widely known and admired as a most capable 
and successful financier. He is survived l)y 
his wife, who was Miss Ellen Stone, daughter 
of Harvey and Harriet (Hickox) Stone, of 
Litchfield County, Conn. 

The subject of this rex'iew was born in 
Bridgeport, Conn., October 19, 183 1. Mr. 
Curtis' early life was spent in his native state. 
After completing his education, which was 
thorough and well e(|uippcd him for the ver_\- 
active and successful business career which 
he subsequentl}' followed, he made an extend- 
ed trip througli the Western States. He re- 
turned to his home in Connecticut about the 
time of the breaking out of the Rebellion. He 
was an earnest believer in the theory that but 
one government should prevail in the United 
States and he quickly responded to the call for 
troops to support the cause of the Govern- 
ment, enlisting as second lieutenant of Com- 
])any D, 3rd Reg., Conn. \'ols., being mus- 
tered in April J5, 1861 ; he was mustered in as 
first lieutenant of Company C, loth Reg., 
Conn. \'ols. September 25, i8f>i; was trans- 



ferred and mustered in as captain of Company 
I, 9th Reg., Conn. Vols., October 28, 1861. 
He served as provost marshal of Madisonville, 
La., from January to A])ril, 1863, and was 
mustered in as major of the 4th Reg., U. S. 
\'eteran Vols., December 29, 1864. He was 
officer of the guard over the prisoners charged 
with the assassination of President Lincoln 
and was on duty at the scaffold during their 
execution. July 7, 1865. He was mustered 
out of the sersice at Camp Chase, Columbus, 
Ohio, March 15, i8C)6. He fought in Keyes' 
and McDowell's brigades and participated in 
many of the greatest battles of the War, in- 
cluding Bull Run. Shi]) Island, Vicksbnrg. 
Ellis Cliff, Grand Gulf and the engagements 
which were participated in by the Army of 
the Gulf. 

After being honorably nnistered out of the 
service of his country, Maj. Curtis removed 
to Warren County and engaged in oil opera- 
tions for a short time with D. W. Clarke. In 
1868, when the lianking house in Tidioute, 
now known as Grandin Brothers' Bank, was 
established by John L. Grandin and A. Clark 
Baum, ^laj. Curtis was selected to fill the 
most important position of cashier. His apti- 
tude for the arduous duties of the ]u)sition, 
the faithfulness and the unusual ability with 
which he fulfilled them and his unfailing cour- 
tesy ;uid integrity as a man of business are 
matters of history, personal and that of Tid- 
io'.ite, which scarcely need to be enlarged 
upon here. For twenty-fi\e years Maj. Curtis 
was the active head of the bank, bearing the 
great responsibilities of cashier with a dignity 
and v.ith such success as to endear him to all 



282 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



who liail l)iisiiiess witli the bank or who came 
in conlact witli him in the various l)usiness 
enterprises w liioh lie materially assisted to suc- 
cessful operation. An excellent accountant 
and a careful, painstakiui;- man of business. 
Maj. Curtis so managed the affairs of the bank 
that when lie laitl down his active work in 
1893. because of failiui;- health, the institu- 
tion was known throughout this state as one 
of the soundest and most prosperous banks. 
Seeking- to recu])erate his health and to enjoy 
rest well-earned by his (|uarter-century of 
arduous and comp;irati\ely iminterrupted 
labor in the bank. .Maj. Curtis retired from 
business and journeyed to California. His 
health, however, continued to decline and he 
died suddenly on February 17, 1894, his death 
being- a severe blow to his family and to his 
host of friends. Idis long and useful career 
ended in Los Angeles, Cal. Maj. Curtis was 
a fine-looking man, brilliant in conversation, a 
deep thinker on all subjects, and a conserva- 
ti\-e. courteous and conscientious man in all 
of his business relations. His habits were 
withoiU tlaw , and in his social relations he was 
beloved for his genial temperament and the 
kindlv. Iielpful, cheery disposition, which 
never seemed to change and which made him 
a delightful companion. His loss was severe 
not oidv to the loved ones of his family. Inu 
was a blow to the conuntmity in which he 
had so long- resided and whose interests he 
had always adxanced. 

Maj. Curtis ranked high as a Mason and 
was verv ])rominent in the ( i. A. I'J.. being 
past connnander of (jeorge A. Cobham Post. 
No. 311. He was an active member of the 



Presbyterian Society. He was tmitcd iri mar 
riage with Miss Stone at .\'ew .Milfonl. Coini.. 
( )ctolier I. \H(>j. and to them were born three 
children, as follows: Harriet L.. wife of Fred- 
erick .\. Shaw, of Tidioute, whose sketch also 
appears herein, — they have one son, Hugh 
Curtis Shaw: Elliot S.. a graduate of Yale Col- 
lege and a law student, who was killed by 
lightning July i, 1894, aged twenty-three 
\ears; and Stillman W., a civil engineer by 
profession, who enlisted July i, 1898, in Com- 
])any (i. ist U. S. Vol. Engineers, and served 
at Porto Rico in the war between the United 
States and Spain and was honoraI)ly dis- 
charged after the recall of the regiment from 
Spanish territory. 

Frederick A. Shaw, who won as his wife 
Harriet L. Curtis, daughter of our subject, is 
secretary and treasurer of the Citizens' Gas 
Company, of Tidioute, and is regarded as one 
of the most capable and progressive business 
men of \\'arren Countv. He was born in Tid- 
io\ite and is a son of Hugh and Maria fi. 
(.\kin) Sliaw,.and a grandson of James Shaw. 
Mr. Shaw's father was born near Franklin, 
\'enango County. Pa., in 1826, and in 1856 
remoNed to Tidoute, where he engaged in the 
luml)er business and also owned the saw mills 
now conducted by L. L. Hunter. He was 
also engaged in oil ]iroduction with his 
brothers. James and Perry Shaw. They 
leased land in Dennis' Run and from one well 
produced 126,000 barrels of oil, the well being 
200 feet dee]/, one of the largest ever drilled 
in the section. Mr. Shaw retired from active 
operations in 1879. He died in 1889, leav- 
ing two sons, Frank W. and Frederick A. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



283 



Frederick A. Shaw became secretary of the 
Citizens' Gas Company npon its organization, 
January i, 1888. The company snppHes gas 
from the Queens and Ilickors' fields to nearly 
all residences in Tidioute and to many in the 
surrounding towns. lie also has lieen man- 
ager of the Tidioute ofifice of the Western 
Union Telegraph Company since 1888. 

A portrait of Maj. Curtis accompanies the 
foregoing biography, being presented on a 
preceding page. 




IIARLES A. HILL, for many years 
a prominent farmer of Hickory 
township, Forest County, Pa., 
now a successful dealer in agricultural imple ■ 
ments and machines, is a highly esteemed resi- 
dent of Tionesta, Pa., where he is enjoying the 
fruits of a well spent life. ^Ir. Hill was born 
in Sherburne, Chenango County, N. Y., Au- 
gust 27, 183 1, and is a son of Frederick and 
Eliza (Shaw) Hill. 

Frederick Hill was born in the northeastern 
part of Massachusetts. He rendered valuable 
services to our countr_\' during the War of 
181 2. When twenty years of age he was united 
in marriage with Eliza Shaw, who was also 
reared in the same vicinity as her husband. 
Tiiis worthy and respected couple reared a 
family of ten children, all of whom grew to 
maturity; many of them became prominent 
in business or professional circles. They are 
enumerated as follows: Eliza .\nn, Harvey, 
.\lmira, John, Timothy, Charles A., George 
T., .\lfred B., Ellen and Jeannette. Eliza Ann 
died at the age of seventv-two vears, still un- 



married. Harvey died in Wisconsin in 1872, 
leaving a family of several sons and one 
daughter. Almira died at Richland City, Wis., 
lea\'ing one son. John, who went to California 
in 1849, and again in 1878, was an experienced 
sailor in his younger days. Timothy was a sail- 
or and all traces of him were lost. Charles A. 
is the subject of these lines. George T. is a 
prominent farmer of Warren County, Pa. Al- 
fred B. is a speculator and travels extensively 
throughout the various states. Ellen is the 
wife of Cyrus Knott of Arkansas. Jeannette 
married John McDonald. Mrs. McDonald 
died in 1895, leaving a family of five children 
in Oregon and along different parts of the Pa- 
cific coast. These ten children were all born 
and reared in Chenango and ]\Iadison coun- 
ties, N. Y. The honored father died at Lodi, 
Wis., where his remains lie buried. His death 
occurred in 1865. The beloved mother sur- 
vived her husband ten years, and was seventy- 
two years old at the time of her death; her 
body was interred at Hickory, Forest County, 
Pa. 

Charles A. Hill left home at the age of 
twelve years and entered the home of Fa\ette 
Tower, a miller at Oriskany Falls, Oneida 
County, N. Y., as chore boy, going to school 
winters and working the remainder of the time 
for his board and clothing. Thus early in life 
was he thrown upon his own rescjurces. and 
worked at one thing and another until 1847, 
wlien he became canal dri\er from Buttalo to 
Albany. He witnessed the big fire at Albany 
in 1848. Shortly afterwards he went to the 
timbered woods of Pennsyhania and worked 
in Hickorv; and it was there that his marriage 



284 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



occurred. On September 2, 1849, Mary J. 
Wolcott, a (laiijjhter of ^^'ilIiaIn and Nancy 
(dates) Wolcott, liecanio his wife, and is still 
the com])ani(iri of his declining' years. 

Mr. Tlill has also an intense love for our 
conntry. and proved his loyalty and patriotism 
by eidistint; in the I "nion Arniv in .\uynst, 
1862, when he became a mend)er of Company 
G, 83rd Reg., Pa. \<il. Inf. lie enlisted at Tio- 
nesta for tliree years and saw two and one-lialf 
years of acti\e ser\ice. He was then disabled 
by a wound wliich debarred him from com- 
pleting the period of his enlistment. During 
his time of ser\ace many of the bloodiest bat- 
tles of the war were fought: he i)articipated 
in the following: Aiuiet;un, South Mountain, 
Fredericksburg. C'hancellors\-ille, (iettysl)urg, 
and Tlie Wilderness. .\t the latter battle he 
was wounded, a bullet com])letely se\'ering h!s 
right forefinger from his li:md. This occurred 
May 5. 1864. E.xcept for a short time in the 
con\alescent cam]), he was in the ranks with 
his company, and was honorably discharged 
in 1865 at Washington, D. C. Before going 
to war Mr. Hill was a farmer in Hickory town- 
ship, near Tionesta, but during the war he sold 
out and in iS(^i() he remo\ed to C'hantaucpia 
Count}-, X. ^'., where he settled on another 
farm, and engaged in dairying, lia\ing twelve 
cows. .\t the close of one season, however, he 
discontiiuied that business .and weiU to Co- 
lumbia Countv, \\ isconsin, where he ])m"- 
cliased town ])roperty, and engaged in black- 
smitliing and wagon-making for a period of 
si.x years. Mr. Hill jiossessed much natural 
meclianical ability and was an expert h.and to 
shoe a horse, llis expertness at this business 



soon became known, and people came from 
many miles around to liave their horses shod 
b\- him. r>nt the old home still had ;ittractions 
for him that could not be overcome, so he sold 
out his business in Wisconsin and returned to 
ilickory townshi|), h'orest County, where he 
])urchased a farm, and lived u])on it until 1894. 
.\gain he sold his farm and purchased his pres- 
ent comfortable home in Tidioute, retiring 
l)ermanently from farm life. He ne.xt went 
into the lixery business, which he carried on 
successfully until 1897, when he sold it to his 
son: lie is now a dealer in farm implements, 
machines, etc. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hill have been called upon to 
momai the loss of two children, both sons: 
James died at the age of eighteen months, and 
William died at about the age cjf ten years. 
They ha\e remaining to them seven children 
of their own and two adopteil ones. Their 
names are as follows: Sophia, Ida, Perry C, 
Truman L.. Arnold W., Nettie, Minnie J., and 
Gertrude and Samuel Farmer, — adopted. So- 
lihia, wife of Peter Lindal, resides at New Cas- 
tle, Pa., — they ha\e four children: Ida is the 
wife of James P.utler of Tionesta, — they are the 
parents of two children: Perry C, a sketch of 
whose life appears below: Tnnnan L. resides 
with his wife, two daughters and fine son at 
Tionesta: .\rnold W., who is married and re- 
sides also in Tionesta, lias one son: Nettie is 
the wife of J. Adams of Tionesta (before mar- 
riage Mr. .\dams followed the ])rofession of 
teaching): Minnie J. is still residing at home 
and is successfully following teaching; Ger- 
trude, an adopted d.aughter, is a bright little 
miss of tweK'e _\ears, and is (juite a student. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



285 



Samuel Fanner, a foster son, is now a young 
man and still resides at home. In his political 
views Mr. Hill was for many years a Repub- 
lican, but has lately cast his vote and inthience 
with tlie rrohibitionists. He has served in 
many of the township offices, such as school 
director, road commissioner, and has been as- 
sociate judge of Forest County. Fie is a will- 
ing worker in tlie M. E. Church, and has 
served as trustee and class leader. He is a 
member of the George Stowe Post No. 274, 
G. A. R., of which he is chai:)lain, — and is also 
a member of the Ancient Order of United 
Workmen. 

PERRY C. HILL is the third child and eld- 
est son of the nine children born to Charles A. 
Hill, whose sketch precedes this. He was 
born on his father's farm in Hickory township 
on March 4, 1854. He was reared to farm life, 
mostly in Forest County. Pa., and at the age 
of fifteen years began to assist his father at the 
forge in the blacksmith shop. He learned the 
blacksmith's trade from his father, and started 
a shop in East Hickory in 1879 or 1880. and 
worked at his chosen occupation for nine 
years, removing at the close of that time to 
Kellettville, where he remained for two years, 
locating in the fall of 1891 in Tionesta. At 
that time he built his present blacksmith's 
shop, where he has been found at his forge 
ever since. In 1897 'le jiurchased from his 
father the livery business, and also conducts 
that: but as the livery stable is directly across 
the street from his shop, it does not interfere 
in the least with the blacksmithing. Mr. Hill 
became a benedict at the age of twenty-one 
years; on November 30, 1875. he was united 



in marriage with Lydia M. Copeland, an at- 
tractive daughter of P. Copeland, a respected 
resident of Forest County. Although no chil- 
dren bles.scd this most happy union. .Mr. and 
Mrs. Hill are very fond of children, and their 
beautiful home is very often the scene of merry 
gatherings of the little ones. Like his hon- 
ored father. Mr. Hill early in life voted the 
Republican ticket, but now is counted among 
the ranks of the Prohibitionists. 

Mr. Hill is a thorough business man and oc- 
cupies a prominent position among the mo.st 
prosperous citizens of Tionesta, where he is 
well known as one of the best workmen of 
Forest County. Like his father, he ])ossesses 
the secret of shoeing horses to perfection. So- 
cially he is a Royal Tenip'ar. 



fOHN C. WEILER. one of the most 
prosperous farmers and extensive land- 
owners of Conewango townshij). War- 
ren County, Pa., was born November 18, 
1827, in Gierstein, .Msace-Lorraine. He was 
a son of John G. and Mary B. (Rochenbach) 
Weiler, and grandson of Theobold and Marv 
W'ciler. He was brought to Warren borough 
by his parents when only four years of age. 
and received a good elementary training in 
the district schools of his native i)lace. and 
of Warren, which he attended until he at- 
tained the age of twenty years. John C. be- 
gan his career by farming in Pleasant town- 
ship, one mile from ^^'arren borough. He 
was diligently engaged in agricultural pur- 
suits in that township for a period of six 
years, but subsequently removed to Warren, 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



where he remained four years. Later he 
moved to Recce's I'lats. wliere lie ])urchased 
TO acres of iracl-land, and also 50 acres of 
academy land adjoining', lie then engatjed 
in farming and lumbering, which i)ccn|)ied his 
attention for elesen years. In 1S55 he built 
a nice residence on his grounds, and also suit- 
able outbuildings. Mr. W'eiler has impro\ed 
and added to his farm, little by little, until at 
]iresent he owns o\cr ')oo acres of the most 
])roducti\c and lu'gliK culti\ated land in War- 
ren County. In i8(')4 he moved to his present 
localit}-. In 1X66 he Iniilt a large barn. In 
i8r8 his handsome mid commodious modern 
home was com])leted, and was immediately 
occujiied by himself and family. ]\[r. Weiler 
chose for his life coni])anion Catherine S. Sei- 
grist, a daughter of John Phillipp Seigrist. 
This joyous e\cnt was consummated in 1851, 
and Mrs. Wei'.er has proved herself to be a 
most worthy helpmeet in every sense of the 
word. 

Catherine S. Seigrist was also born in .\1- 
sace in 1833, and was brought to America by 
her parents when only si.\ months old. Her 
])ru"ents settled on a farm in what was known 
as ^'ankeri)ush. in C'ouewango townshij). 
Warren County, i'a. I ler father w'as a Demo- 
crat, and earnest in his \iews. Her parents 
were consistent members of the Evangelical 
Churcli, and were liberal supporters of that 
denomination. Catherine recei\ed her early 
teachmgs by attending the district scliools, 
and was a general faxorite with her school- 
mates. .\t the time of her marriage with Mr. 
Weiler she was considered one of tlic most 
charming and accfimnlished vounc: ladies in 



her township; nor has her po])ularitv de- 
creased with time. Indeed the result is quite 
the contrary. Her opinion is consulted on all 
sides, and her advice is always ciieerfully 
given; no gathering is complete without her 
|)resence. Her memory is remarkable; no 
birth, marriage, death, or important business 
event has occurred in the neighborhood for 
nearly half a century in connection with which 
she cannot relate some coincident facts which 
served to hx that peculiar event in her mind. 
She has always taken quite an active interest 
in the affairs of the farm, and is considered 
just as competent a manager as her husliand. 
.\t the present time, although she is well ad- 
vanced in years, she is still a particularly ac- 
tive woman. She is a zealous member of the 
Evangelical Church, and a devout Christian, 
with many kindly traits of character. 

John J. Weiler. father of our subject, 
learned the trade of a hitzler, or worker in 
hemp, in his native country, but possessed a 
desire to visit America. In 1831 he came to 
the United States, and at once began the oc- 
ciqiation of farming in Pleasant townshi]). 
moxing later to that part of Conewango towu- 
shiji. Warren County. Pa., known as the 
academy lots. In politics he favored the 
Democratic side. He belonged to the l'L\an- 
gelical Church. His wife was Mary R. Koch- 
enbach, who was bom in 1/93. '''^^' '''*^''' '" 
t88o, at the age of eighty-seven years. They 
reared five children; George B.; Sally, who 
became the wife of Mr. Arnold, and is now 
deceased; John C. (our subject); Magdalena, 
now the wife of Christian Koeblin. and Mary. 
wife of Henrv Boss. 



THIRTV-SE\ENTH JIDICIAL DISTRICT 



287 



John C. Weiler is a prominent man, and a 
hard worker in all affairs of 1)enefit to his 
township, lie has held several offices, and 
has ahvaws gi\en great satisfaction hy \'irtne 
of his nnselfishness and sincerity. He has 
filled the following offlces from time to time — • 
road connnissioner. for nine years; school di- 
rector, three years; township treasurer, three 
terms; schocjl treasurer, one term. He and 
his amiable wife were blessed with the follow- 
ing children: Mary E., wife of Anthony Mint- 
zer; EliasP.,who died aged three years; Theo- 
dosia S. S., who wedded Michael Kaffarlein: 
Elias H.; Gilbert G., and Cloie A. Cloie A., 
the youngest daughter, is now in Erie. Pa., 
studying for the profession of trained inu"se, 
antl is aliout to graduate. 




TARLING W. WATERS, an ex-offi- 
cial in the courts of justice, and at the 
present time postmaster of Warren, 
Pa., was born in that borough May 4. 1848, 
and is a son of Starling and Betsy J. (Cogs- 
well) Waters and a grandson of Nehemiah 
\\'aters. He received his education in the 
l)ublic schools of Warren, and his early man- 
hdud was spent in a clerical capacity. He was 
called into public service when c^uite young. 
Before he had reached his twenty-second year 
he was elected to the office of prothonotary of 
the courts of Warren County, and filled that 
office three successive terms, spending nine 
years in ser\ing the peo])le at the court-house. 
Previous to his last year's official service at 
the court he had acquired interests in the pro- 
duction of oil. an<l at the exi'iration of his last 



term of office he followed lumbering and oil 
])roducing. In iSi)- he recci\ed the appoint- 
ment of pnstm.aster of Warren and took 
charge of the office May 31 of the .same year, 
and is now serving in that capacity. 

Starling Waters, father of our subject, was 
born in Xew York .State, on the b.nnks of Eake 
Champlain. in the year ]8iS, his birth being 
coincident with the develoimient of the great 
territory of Illinois into statehood. He ac- 
companied his parents to Warren County. 
Pa., when a mere bov and was trained in the 
various labors incident to farm life, but his 
active career was spent in the lumbering busi- 
iiess. He became the consort of Betsy J- 
Cogswell, who sur\-ivcs him. and resides in 
Warren. Pa. They were the jiarents of nine 
children, seven daughters and two sons, who 
were: Delphina E. (Culbert.son); Helen E. 
(Howard); Clara J. (McDermott); Harriet A. 
(Pressly): Mary R. (Wyman). deceased; Katie 
A. (Wilkins); P. Belle (Phillips); Charles A.. 
and Starling W., our subject. Starling Waters 
was a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. His early political affiliations were 
vvith the \\'hig ])arty. and with tlie iiolitical 
change which came on at that time he followed 
in line with his old associates and cast his lot 
with the Republicans, the new jiarty name 
adopted for the defunct Whig party. He a'so 
served as a member of the state militia, in 
which he was connnissioned colonel. He died 
in Warren in 1872. 

In 1870 our subject was united in marriage 
with M. Rosamond Hall, daughter of Orris 
Hall, of \\'arren. Pa., and three children bless 
th.eir home; thev are: Emerv I'.. \\'ils(in 11.. 



288 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



and Myron. Mr. Waters at various intervals 
has been interested in different industries of 
tiio li(ir()ii,L;li, hut at the ]>resi'nt lime has no 
(illici.nl comicctioii with any manufacturing es- 
tahhshnicnl. ills ixjpularily as a citizen has 
hccn made manifest by tlie bestowal of public 
responsibilities on iiis shoulders. Me is enter- 
prising and in every way worthy of the puldic 
appreciation. Since 1H94 he has served as a 
trustee of the State Hospital for the Insane, 
which is located at North Warren, Pa. So- 
cially Mr. Waters is ;i member of North Star 
I. edge Xc. J41. V. Sc A. M., also of B. P. O. 
E. No. 223. 



§(_)!! X U. CABLE is one of the most 
prominent citizens of Warren, Warren 
County. Pa., and is widely known as 
special agent for one of the large life insurance 
companies of this country and as a gentleman 
of s])lendid business abilities, with an en\-iable 
reputation for honesty and integrity. 

He was born in Pine Grove township. War- 
ren County, Pa., May i i, 1S55, and is a son of 
Thomas and Sallie .\. (Wetmore) Cable. His 
father was born near Albany, X. N'., in 1812, 
and came to Pine (iro\e, Warren County, in 
1S32. He was a farmer 1)\- occupation. He 
died in 1875. The mother of John B. was born 
in Hanover. Chautauqua County, N. Y., in 
1820, was married to Thomas Cable in 1838, 
aiul died in 1880. The subject of our sketch 
was the fifth of a family of ten children born 
to Mr. and Mrs. Cable, as follows: Maria, born 
in 1845: James, born in 1848; Charles, born 
in 1S49; Hannah, born in 1S52: John B.. 



born in 1855; W. L., born in 1857; Clara A., 
bom in i860; Elorcnce A., born in 1862; 
George W., born in 1864, an<l Thomas, Jr., 
born in 1866. 

The subject of this review attended the dis- 
trict schools in his uati\e county, working on 
his fatiier's farm in sunuuer. At the age of 
twenty-three years he tocjk a course in \)cn- 
manship and drawing at a college in Union 
City, Pa., and su1:)sequently taught writing 
and drawing in various parts of this state. 1 le 
removed to Warren when twenty-five years 
old and engaged in Inisiness as an insurance 
solicitor in the office of Cable & Knapp, w hich 
firm continued nearly two years, when James 
Cable sold his interest to Mr. Knapp, his part- 
ner. In a few months John B. Cable bought 
an interest from Mr. Knapp, and the firm be- 
came Kna])p & Cable. Three years later the 
firm bought tlie insurance business of J. H. 
Mitchell & Co., wdiich business was conducted 
successfulh' for three }'ears. Mr. Cable then 
sold out and went to Wichita, Kas., where he 
also engaged in business as an agent for fire 
insurance companies. He returned to Warren 
in 1889, and again went into l)usincss. asso 
ciated with his brother, \\'. L. Cable, the firm 
being quite successful as insurance agents. 
Soon thereafter Mr. Cable was appointed dis- 
trict agent for the celebrated Travelers' Ins:u-- 
ance Company of Hartford, Conn., when he 
discontinued the fire branch of his business 
and devoted his entire time and energy to life 
insurance. He still retains the position as dis- 
trict agent for the company named. He is 
furthermore interested in oil, in the maiuifac- 
ture of lamp black, and also owns extensi\c 




HKNKV A. HOUl'H. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



291 



vineyards at Dunkirk, N. Y. In politics Ish. 
Cable is a Republican, but has never sought 
office. He and his wife are acti\e members of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1885 Mr. 
Cable married Susie V. Foss, daughter of Mrs. 
N. K. Lehman by a former marriage. The 
coui)le have no children. 



fSyr liNRV A. BOOTH, of Warren, and a 




^^ member of the lirm of 15ooth Broth- 
ers, oil ])roducers, with headquar- 
ters at Bradford, Pa., was born in Boston, 
Lincolnshire, England, February 22, 1846. 
He is a son of John and Mary Ann (Bamber) 
Booth and grandson of John Booth, who was 
in Wellington's army and took part in the 
historic battle of Waterloo, fought June 18, 
18:5, in which the army of one of the world's 
greatest generals, the renowned emperor. 
Napoleon I., of France, was completely rout- 
ed, his sword and scepter parted, himself taken 
prisoner and banished in e.xile to the Island 
of St. Helena, where he died in iSji. The 
Booth family has long been established in 
Lincolnshire. 

John E. Booth, father of the subject of this 
biography, was born in that shire, and there 
received his schooling and si)ent the days of 
early manhood. He first came to .\merica in 
1842, but after making several trips back and 
forth he moved his family to this country, in 
1853, and located in Fulton County, N. Y., 
where he lived ten years. He then moved to 
Montgomery County, X. \'., where he con- 
tinued the rest of his life. His last vears were 



spent in retirement at Fort Jackson (now the 
5th Ward of Amsterdam City, N. Y.j, and 
he died at the age of seventy years. His oc- 
cu])alion dming his active days was farming, 
and through the course of his life he owned 
and cultivated several different farms. He was 
united in marriage with Mary Ann Bamber, a 
native of Lincolnshire, England. Five chil- 
dren now bear their name, three of whom 
were born in England. His wife now lives 
in Amsterdam, X. Y. She was born in 1815. 
Their children are named: Dora M. (Per- 
kins); Heiuy .\.: Albert E., who Hves at 
Bradford and is associated with our subject in 
oil producing; Elizabeth I. (Schuler), and Wil- 
liam A. Our subject's father was a ^Vhig 
and later a Republican. He was a memljer of 
the Church of England. 

Henry A. Booth, to whom our sketch per- 
tains, was but se\en years old when he was 
brought to this country. His elemental train- 
ing was obtained in the puljlic schools of FiU- 
ton and Montgomery counties, N. Y. Soon 
after reaching his majority he left the farm 
and went to the South, where he spent eleven 
years. During the spread of yellow fever, in 
1878, he sought refuge in the state of Penn- 
sylvania. His sojourn in the South was di- 
vided between the states of Louisiana, Texas 
and Arkansas. A short time previous to 
1878 he lia<l l)ecome interested in the oil busi- 
ness with his brother, whose headquarters 
were at Bradford, Pa., and after he settled in 
Pennsylvania he made Bradford his place of 
residence, but spent some time in other parts 
of the state, looking after their varied and 
extensive interests. lie located in Warren in 



292 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



1888. and lias since that time made it his 
liome. 

Bdotli l?rotlicrs have l)cen extcnsixc oil 
producers and are yet interested in tiie pi'od- 
uct of McKean, Forest and Warren counties. 
Pa., and Cattaraugus Coiuity. N. ^'. Tiie in- 
terests of their I)usiness in \\ arren and I'Orest 
counties are looked after by the subject of this 
sketch, while his brother oversees their in- 
terests in tlie other comities. 

Henry A. Uooth married Alice McKav, 
a nati\e of Montgomery County, N. Y., who 
is of Scotch descent. They ha\e one child, 
a daughter, named Helen S. ^Ir. Booth is a 
strong Republican and works for the success 
of his party, but does not seek ot^ce. We 
are pleased to announce that a portrait of Mr. 
Booth is presented on a preceding page. 




r ORGAN MAIXWARING, proprie- 
tor and manager of a large machine- 
shop in .Sheffield, Warren Coun- 
ty, Pa., is a skilled mechanic, and is also held in 
high esteem l)y the citizens of Sheffield town- 
ship. In 1882 he established his present sliop, 
erecting a large and conxenienl building, in 
which he has the best and most modern ma- 
chinery, it is run by steam and turns out all 
kinds of tools used in connection with oil 
wells, refineries, general repair-work, etc. By 
the proficiency of his work and his moderate 
prices, Mr. Mainwaring has succeeded in se- 
curing a large trade; the demand for his goods 
is so great that he employs seven skilled me- 
chanics, and each wcjrkman is constantly em- 
ployed in order to supply tlie requisitions of 



his patrons. So remunerative lias this busi- 
ness been that Mr. .Mainwaring exiiects soor. 
to retire from active business pursuits, and 
when his adopted son (who is really his 
nephew) returns from the United States Navy 
he intends to ttnn the management of the 
plant over to him. 

The sul)ject of this sketch was born in 
South Wales March 10, 1837, and is the son 
of l)a\id and Mary (Llewellyn) Mainwaring: 
he was reared and educated in his native 
country, and as an apjjrentice learned the 
trade of a blacksmith. He completelv mas- 
tered this trade wliile still a youth in his na- 
tive countr\-, and was considered a very skill- 
ful wcirkman. .\t the age of twenty-two lie 
came to America, landing at Portland, Maine. 
He first established a machine shop at Hayes- 
ville, Butler County, Pa., where he remained 
for four years. He then removed his shop to 
Edinboro, and after a time located in Barnes, 
Warren County; still later, in 1882, he settled 
permanently in Sheffield. PTe is also consid- 
erably interested in oil producing, having 
some cai)ital invested in oil wells, now in suc- 
cessful o|:)eration, which yield him a comfort- 
able income. 

David Mainwaring, father of our subject, 
was a native of South Wales, where he lived 
and died. During his life he followed the 
profession of a chemist. He and his good 
wife were the parents of eleven children; their 
family record is as follows: William; John, 
who died after coming to America; David; 
Mary; Janet; Reece; Morgan, our subject; 
Thomas, who also died after coming to Amer- 
ica; Samuel; Francis, deceased; and Ann. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



293 



Caroline Lawcomer, native of the city of 
Lancaster, Lancaster County. Pa., 1)ecame 
the wife of Morgan Mainwaring. Although 
no children were born of this hap])y union, 
they have reared and educated David Main- 
waring, son of Thomas, a deceased brother of 
our subject. 

David ]\Iain waring was born in (_)il City, 
Pa., and. being an orphan at the tender age 
of nine years, gladly accepted the home of- 
fered him by his uncle and aunt; they have 
acted the part of father and mother to him 
in every way, caring for him as tenderly, and 
educating him as conscientiously as they 
would have done if he were their own son. 
His foster-father taught him the machinist's 
trade, in which he became a \ery proficient 
workman. During the excitement of the late 
war with Spain. David enlisted, in March. 
1898. as a machinist in the United States 
Navy, and was promoted to be assistant en- 
gineer of one of the vessels. This vessel was 
formcrh' the Illinois. l)ut is now called the 
Surprise. He is now a machinist on the battle- 
ship Massachusetts. His many interesting 
letters, some of which have been puljlishcd for 
the benefit of friends and acquaintances, con- 
tain items of information concerning Havana. 
Santiago. San Juan (Porto Rico), and other 
ports which he visited during the recent con- 
flict. Upon his discharge from the na\y. he 
expects to return to Sheffield and become a 
partner in the machine-shops, as above men- 
tioned. 

^ Morgan Mainuaring has also seen service 
in the United States Navy. In 1862 he en- 
listed in it from New York City, served (prin- 



cipally in front of Charleston, S. C.) for about 
fourteen months, and was honorably dis- 
charged at Norfolk. Va. He has always been 
a sup])ortcr of the Rei)ublican party, and his 
religious view s are broad and liberal. Socially 
he is a member of the Knights of Pythias and 
Sheffield Lodge No. 481, I. O. O. F. 



7-^ LARENCE L. CHADWICK, a well- 
I jp to-do and prosperous merchant of 
^■^ ^ Rear Lake. Freehold township. War- 
ren County, Pennsylvania, where he also oc- 
cupies the position of postmaster, is well ac- 
([uainted with business methods, and handles 
his extensive trade in a most capalile manner. 
Mr. Chadwick was born at Clymer. N. Y.. 
May I, 1854, receiving his primarv- education 
there, and afterward graduating with high 
honors from the Jamestown Academy at 
Jamestown, N. ^^ His education now com 
pleted. he returned home and assisted his 
father on the farm until 1881, accepting at 
that time a position on the road as traveling 
salesman for a marble house. That occupa- 
tion, however, was not congenial to his na- 
ture, and he abandoned it after a short time. 
In 1883. in partnership with William Sweet- 
land, he bought the general store and stock 
of Hammond, Wilcox & Co., and immediately 
began to enlarge and improve the business. 
In February of the same year they erected a 
new store-building, larger and better in eveiy 
way than the old one. Soon after removing 
their stock to this new building, Mr. Chad- 
wick purchased the interest of Mr. Sweetland. 
and condiK-ted the business alone until 1893. 



294 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



selling out to good advantage at that time to 
CarrBros. He then decided to take a vaca- 
tion, as he iiad i)ecn closely confined to his 
business for more than ten years. He went 
west, and spent one year visiting the different 
points of interest, i'.nt lie was too husv a man 
to live a life of ple;isin-e only, ;nid after re- 
turning to his f<irnier home, he ])urchased at 
sheriffs sale the stock owned li\ W. 11. J)e- 
\-eimy. remainiiig at that stand until 1896, 
when he ])urchased the store he now occupies. 

Upon first embarking in the mercantile 
business, ]\Ir. Chadwick carried a line of gen- 
eral merchandise, but from time to time his 
stock has been increased and somewhat 
ch.'uigcd. He now makes a specialty of drv 
goods and millinery, carrying a splendid va- 
riety and class of goods in those departments. 
In addition to this he has a separate ware- 
room, where he conducts a wholesale business 
ill butter and farm produce, with an office in 
his store. .Mr. Chadwick was appointed post- 
master under the present administration, re- 
ceiving his commission from President Mc- 
Kinley; his office is a model of neatness and 
conxenience. where mail is dealt out to the 
citizens of Bear Lake with rapidity, and in a 
pleasant, courteous and business-like manner. 
Our subject is a son of Benjamin F. and Maria 
(Rowe") Chadwick, and grandson of .\rchelus 
Chadwick. 

Archelus Chadwick was a native of Lvnn. 
Massachusetts, wliere he s])ent many years en- 
gaged in agricultural labors, removing later 
to Clymer. New York, and there buying a 
fann on which he built a log house and suit- 
able barns, and spent his declining years in 



the quiet pursuits of farming. His son Ben- 
jamin, father of the sul)ject of this sketch, 
succeeded him on the farm, also making that 
his life work, lie was born at Lynn, Mass., 
and received a \ery limited education there. 
He was one of the pioneer settlers in the \i- 
cinit\- of Clymer. where he ]nirchased an ad- 
ditional farm of 1 jo ;icres. .\'ot having ;ui 
ojiportunity to secure ;i good education in his 
bo_\hood days, he entered W'estlield .\cadem_v 
after he had reached his twenty-first year. ;ind 
at that advanced age became an excellent 
scholar, being particularly advanced in chem- 
istry and i)hilosophy. He chose for his wife 
Maria Rowe, and their marriage was duly 
celebrated. Mrs. Chadwick was a native of 
Warren County. Pa., having been l)orn in 
Freehold township. Before her marriage she 
followed the profession of teaching. Two 
sons blessed this happy union — Clarence L., 
our subject, and Lawrence C. 

Lawrence C. Chadwick received a very 
good education, and then took a theological 
course. After his graduation he was ordained 
a minister of the Gospel, and preachetl as an 
Adventist. He was given the e.xtremel)' re- 
sponsible task of reorganizing the missionary 
posts, and establishing new ones in New Or- 
leans. Mexico, the West India Islands, and 
Africa. This was considered a mission of 
honor for one so young. Later in life he pre- 
ferred the Baptist faith, and preached for that 
denonn'nation at I'.attle Creek. Michigan. He 
is still doing good work in his i\Iaster's vine- 
yard, filling the pastorate of the Baptist 
Church in White Pigeon, Michigan. 

Hetta Mason, a prominent and successful 




gl:i)K(;k k. ujhnson. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



297 



teacher (if ISear Lake, becatne our sul)- 
ject's wife in 1876. One son, Wayne, 
now hri.qhtens their home. lie was 
Ijorn in 1883, and is now busily en- 
gaged in securing an education. Besides his 
business interests already mentioned, Mr. 
Chadwick owns the old homestead and valu- 
able real estate in Jamestown, P>ear Lake, 
I.akewood, and also a half interest in property 
in Oymer townslnp. His political opinions 
arc in accord with tlie Repul)lican party; he 
has served his party as councilman, and as .i 
school director. In his religious faith he is 
an advocate of the doctrines held by the 
I'nited Brethren Church. Socially he is a 
member of the following lodges: Columbus 
Lodge No. 264, F. & A. M.; Columbus Chap- 
ter No. 200, Corry, Pa.; Clarence Command- 
ery No. 51, Knights Templar, of Corry, Pa.; 
Tent No. 218 of Bear Lake, K. O. T. M.; 
Modern Woodmen; Knights of Honor; and 
is a charter member, past grand officer, and 
present district, deputy-grand master of Syl- 
via Lodge No. 1025, L O. O. F. 



/^TeORGE R. JOHNSON, an extensive 
Y^I real estate owner and an enterprising 
citizen of Kellettville, Kingsley town- 
ship. Forest County, Pa., whose portrait is 
shown on the opposite page, is superintendent 
and foreman of the Salmon Tannery, and is 
one of the most experienced and best known 
tanners in the state. He is a son of James and 
Lucinda (Teller) Johnson, anil was born in 
Sullivan County, N. Y., in 1848. 

John Johnson, his grandfather. — a man of 



cxcci)ti()nal business aliility, — was born in 
Connecticut. He was awarded a contract to 
build part of the Delaware and Hudson Canal 
from Honesdale. Pa., to Rondout. N. Y., and 
out of this venture he realized a handsome 
sum. He subsecjuently started a tannery in 
Sullivan County, N. 'S'., which he continue<l 
until all the l)ark was used up, when he built 
another tannerv. This he subsc(iuentlv sold 
to George R. Johnson's father. He and his 
wife Hannah were the parents of five children: 
Nicholas; Levi; James; Ambrilla (Moore); 
and Hannah (Sheely). 

James Johnson, father of the subject of this 
sketch, was born in Sullivan County, N. Y., 
in 1818, and enjoyed the advantages of the 
public schools of that county. In 1854 he be- 
came the manager of a tannery in Ulster 
County, which his father had purchased, and 
subsequently Ijought the establishment. He 
conducted it alone until 1866, when he sold a 
one-third interest to George R. Johnson, who 
was then only eighteen years of age. He was 
united in marriage with Lucinda Teller (whose 
three brothers served in the Tenth Legion 
during the Civil War), and their union re- 
sulted in the birth of five children, as follows: 
Amy A. (Hall), deceased; Hannah E. (Tyler), 
deceased; George R., whose name heads this 
record; Lorenzo R., a tanner; and Winfield 
S., a tanner. Mr. Jiihuson conducted the l.nisi- 
ness in partnership with his sou until he re- 
tired from the active labors of life. Politically 
he was a Democrat, serving as school director, 
supervisor and justice of the peace. In reli- 
gious views he was a devout Christian. 

George R. Johnson attended the public 



298 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



scliools of Ulster County, and then learned the 
trade of a tanner. At the ag^e of eig^liteen years 
ho piircliasod a one-third interest in his father's 
tannery and the partnership continned nntil 
the latter's retirement, when Lorenzo R. John- 
son was taken in as a jiartner. Ten years later, 
the hark in that locality heinj^' exhausted, they 
closed down the plant, and ( ieors^e R. Jcdm- 
son engaged in the lunihcr husiness. He built 
a mill and manufactured large c|uantities of 
luMulock building materi.'d for local and New 
^'ork markets. He also manufactured turned 
novelties, in which line he worked up a large 
business. He later luoxed to the town of Bain- 
bridge, in Chenango Count}-. X. Y.. and spec- 
ulated in building lots, realizing large profits 
on his in\estments. lie became very popular 
in that district while living in Ulster County, 
N. Y., and was elected to the State Assembly 
on the Democratic ticket in a very strong Re- 
publican precinct. Although repeatedly urged 
to run again, he declined to do so, preferring 
to give his attention to business. In 1889 he 
removed to Kellettville, Forest County, Pa., 
and the firm of Horton & Johnson was organ- 
ized for the purpose of engaging in the tan- 
ning business. The\' built a large tannerv at 
that point, and conducted it for a period of 
four years, when, in 1893, it was merged into 
the United States Leather Comjiany. (Jwing 
to his years of experience and well-known 
business ability, Mr. Johnson was chosen su- 
perintendent of the Salmon Tannerv, and has 
since held that position. The plant is one of 
the largest in the East, consisting of three very 
large buildings, and numerous small ones. 
Thev manufacture sole leather exclusivelv. 



The hides are unpacked from cars into the re- 
ceiving room and from there t;d<en to the 
pools, which form a good-sized lake. Thev are 
then taken out of the pool ipto the mill, w here 
the hides are softened, the hair taken off, and 
scraped. Next they are taken to the innnense 
tanyard, where the enormous (|uantitv (jf 35,- 
000 hides is being tanne<l at one time. They 
are from there taken to the drying room, 
where they hang for a considerable length of 
time, and thence to the finishing rooms. They 
have a capacity of 300 hides ])er da\-, and carry 
a stock of 40,000 finished hides. They manu- 
facture from imported hides, the Monte\ideo- 
American hide, which makes the finest sole 
leather in the world, being among them. They 
have fi\e miles of water line and comjjany 
houses. They have a large engine room and 
three engines running. Mr. Johnson is unex- 
celled as a tanner, and l>y his connection with 
this firm is widely known throughout the 
state. Besides the tannery he possesses con- 
siderable real estate, both in houses and build- 
ing lots, two farms and a grist mill. 

Our subject was united in marriage with 
Lucelia Lamont, a daughter of Daniel and 
Fanny (Marsh) Lamont, who was born in 
Cireene County, N. Y., and they are the ])ar- 
ents of fourchildren: James Wilbur, who acts 
as assistant to his father at the tannerv: Oscar 
L., a bookkeeper; Luella; and Edna F. The 
children were all well educated in the Grove 
City College. Religiously Mr. Johnson is an 
attendant of the Presbyterian Church. He is 
a stanch Democrat in politics, Init since his 
removal to Pemisyhania has not been active 
in party aft'airs. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



(JOSEPH SHEARER, a well known resi- 
dent of Pleasant township, Warren 
Counts', I'a., was born in the city of 
Hern, Switzerland, in May. 1844. and was 
hrought to this country when only eight years 
old. Mis schplastic training was received at 
Buffalo, New York, and in Chautauqua Coun- 
ty, in the same state. When of a suitalile age 
he engaged in farming and lumbering, follow- 
ing that occupation for several years with so 
much success that he found himself in posses- 
sion of a considerable sum of mone_\' which he 
decided to invest in land. .Vccordingly he 
purchased a fine farm in Pleasant township, 
near the Allegheny Ri\er, a ver\- desirable 
farming site. Cpon this farm he built for 
himself (|uite ?i handsome residence. From 
time to time he has added to the house, until 
it is now one of the most convenient and com- 
fortable homes in that \icinity. 

Louisa Lesser, a favorite daughter of Con- 
rad Lesser, a highly respected resident of 
^\'arren County, formerly of Alsace, France, 
became the wife of Mr. Shearer in 1869, and 
made his home additionally attractive. Three 
children bless their union: Alice E., William 
D., and Leon — and all were born in Pleasant 
township, except .Mice E., wlio was born near 
Kinzua. She was born in 1870, educated in 
the district schools, and is an accomplished 
and charming yoimg lady. William D. was 
born in 1877, and after being educated in the 
home district school, he became apprenticed, 
and learned the blacksmith trade, which occu- 
]iation he followed with much success. Leon, 
the youngest child, was born December 8, 
1883, and is a very promising scholar, l)eing 



engaged in storing his mind with useful 
knowledge. Joseph Shearer is a son of John 
and Elizabetli (Hcinic) Shearer, and grand- 
son of John and Elizabeth Shearer. 

John Shearer, grandfather u{ the subject 
hereof, was a native of Switzerland. He was 
educated there and afterward became a promi- 
nent farmer of that picturesque country. 
Both he and his wife were very well known 
and greatly esteemed. They had four child- 
ren: Jacob, Joseph, John, and a girl whose 
name is not now remembered. 

John Shearer, father of Joseph, w'as born" at 
Bern, Switzerland, in 181 7. He received a 
very liberal education for tliose times, wdien 
Ijook learning was not considered of much 
consequence. When grown to manhood he 
learned the trade of a cooper, and after build- 
ing up a good business for himself at that call- 
ing, he sought a companion to share his pros- 
perity. Elizabeth Heinic, a young lady born, 
reared and educated in Switzerland, became 
his wife. In 1852 they sought a home in 
.\merica, settling first at Buft'alo, Xew York, 
and remaining there tliree years. They then 
removed to Chautauqua County, Xew York, 
and followed agricultural piu'suits four \ears. 
In 1859 Mr. Shearer purchased a farm in Kin- 
zua township, \\'arren County, Pa., and took 
up his residence tliere. Later he bought land 
in Pleasant township and moved there. In 
1866 he was called u])on to sustain the loss of 
his wife, Elizabeth, and, although he survived 
her twenty-three years, he mourned her loss 
very cleeplv. They reared foiu" sons: John: 
Joseph, subject of this sketch: Bennett: and 
Fred. 



300 



BOOK OK BIOGRAPHIES 



Besides l)(.'in!4 a l,irini.T and himhcrman Jos- 
ei)Ii Sliearcr is well known as an oil ])r(i(lnccr, 
.'nid at the present time he owns valual)le oil 
projierty in I""ast Warren. While Mr. Shearer 
never sonyht the donhtfnl distinetions of po- 
litical adv-ancement, he has l^een a life-long 
Democrat, and is proud of the fact that he 
lias aUvaxs i)erfnrnied his dutv as a citizen, 
never failing to cast his vote, or to use his 
influence with others, for the promotion of 
purer politics, and for the elevation of his par- 
ty's aims. He is an earnest member of the 
Lutheran Church, and has always contributed 
largely toward the support of that denomina- 
tion, and also to general charities. His in- 
terest in educational matters is intense. He 
served as school director for eight years. He 
was formerly a member of the Knights of 
Honor, and is now a member of Pleasant 
Grange, No. 1143, '" Pleasant township. 




19. 



R. OTIS S. BROWN of W^nrren, 
Warren County, Pa., is a prominent 
physici.'ui who stands high in his [jro- 
fession in this state. He is a son of Thomas 
and Harriet (Golding) Brown and a grantlson 
of Hugh Brown and .Martlia (Burgess) 
Brown, both of whom were born in Ireland 
:ui(l came to this countrv in 1800. The grand- 
father died in uSOo and the grandmother 
jiassed away in 1862 or 1863. 

The father of our subject, Thomas Brown, 
was born in I'^armington townshi]), Warren 
Countv, Pa., in 1835, is a farmer b\- ()ccu])a- 
tion and is yet living. His wife was Harriet 
Golding and was born in 1840. She died in 



1872. Unto them were born two sons, Sher- 
ni.m R., in 1867, and the subject of this sketch, 
who was born .\ugust 3, 1863. in I'arnn'ngton 
tdwnshij), Warren Countw 

Dr. lirown spent his boyhood days working 
on his father's farm ;ui(l attending the district 
schools in his native township. He subse- 
(|uently attended the Jamestown L'nion 
School and Collegiate Institute, after 
which he taught school in l"";uniington 
township for three terms, winning high 
praise as an instructor of children. Having 
determined to take up medicine as a profes- 
sion, he took a course in the College of Phy- 
sicians and Surgeons in Baltimore, Md., from 
which college he was graduated in .March, 
1886. He also pursued a post-graduate course 
in New York City in 1886- 1887. He had 
previously practiced medicine in Russell, War- 
len County, where he remained until .\];)ril, 
1897, when he removed to Warren, and as- 
sociated himself with Dr. W. S. Peirce. Dr. 
Brown has secured a large clientage, and he 
enjoys the confidence and respect of his fel- 
low citizens. 

Immediately after recei\ing his diploma as 
a doctor of medicine. Dr. Brown was united in 
marriage to Gertie A. Pond, daughter of 
Charles A. and Ann (Curtis) Pond. The sub- 
ject of our sketch is a jirominent member of 
the Pennsylvania State Medical Society and 
also of the Warren County Medical Society, 
and is one of the board of examiners of .appli- 
cants for pensions in \\ ,arren County. He is 
a Republican in ]iolitics. ;uid in religious l)e- 
lief is ;m ardent and .actixe member of the First 
M. E, Church of Warren, 




ROBERT MILES. 




DONALD D. McALPIN. 



ALPHEUS J. IXWIS. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



305 



(^P^ LPHEUS J. DAVIS, a successful and 
fjA well known oil-producer and business 
^ V_^ man of Warren, Pennsylvania, is a 
native of Kcadint;', Stculien County, New 
York, and is the fourth son of Greeley and 
Lucy (Dow) Davis. His father was a native 
of Saratoga County, New York, where he 
was Ijorn August 4, 1787. He served in the 
American Army in the War of i(SiJ, princi- 
pally at Ticonderoga, and for his brave and 
meritorious conduct was awarded a soldier's 
land warrant. Lucv l)t)w. the mother of Al- 
pheus J., was a native of W'atkins, Steuben 
County, New York, where she was born Oc- 
tober 10, 1792. She married Greeley Da- 
vis at I-ieading, New York, in 181 1. Greeley 
Da\'is died at Pleasantville, \'enango County, 
Pennsylvania, June 15, 1863, and his esti- 
mable wife tlied at Tionesta, Forest County, 
Pennsylvania, in 1868. A partial record of 
their children is as follows: Lot B., born in 
1812 (and twice married, first to Susan Cenci- 
Iiaugh and second to Julia Hudson, who re- 
sides in W'atkins, New York); John D., who 
was born in 1814, and died after the family re- 
mo\-ed to Warren, Pennsylvania; Earnum, 
who married .\manda Wright, and died in Illi- 
nois; Alpheus J., the subject of tin's sketch; 
Mary, born in 1822, the wife of Flavins J. Ben- 
edict of Pleasantville, Pennsylvania: Mere- 
dith and .Miranda, twins, horn in 1824. the 
former twice married (to .\manda Bentley and 
to .\nna Evans), and a resident of Clearfield 
County, Pennsx'Kania. and the latter the wife 
of Daniel Whitney of Buffahi, New York; 
Priscilla Ann, wife of James H. Clark of New 
York Citv; Frances, wife of Marshall Couch. 



died in 1858; Samuel, who married' Adeline 
Henderson of York, Nebraska: Luther, who 
married Mary Houston, and is a resident of 
Warren C"onnt_\-, Illinois; and i^phraim, who 
married Elizabeth Dale, and is a resident of 
Tionesta, Pennsylvania. 

The suljject of this review, .\li)heus J. Da- 
vis, was schooled in his Ijirthplace in Steuben 
County, New York, and in Warren. Pennsyl- 
vania, his parents removing to the latter town 
in 1833. He worked on his father's farm until 
he was fifteen years of age, when, leaving his 
elder brothers to carry on the farm work, he 
apprenticed himself to a clothier, with whom 
he served three years. Desiring to secure a 
more complete education, he spent the follow- 
ing three years in school in Warren. Subse- 
quently he engaged in the lumber business, 
in which he continued actively for many years, 
being interested also in numerous other enter- 
prises, and being unusually successful in all 
by reason of his ability and his faculty of fore- 
seeing good opportunities to buy or sell to 
ailvantage. In 1858 he opened a flour and 
feed store, which he conducted for two years. 
In the meantime he had been a])pointed agent 
for an express comjiany, l)eing the first ex- 
press agent in W.irren, and he held the posi- 
tion with credit to himself and satisfaction to 
the company and its patrons until he resigned 
it in t86i in fa\'or of his friend. L. 1). (.'ran- 
dall. When the petroleum fields first began 
to be developed Mr. Davis built a refinery on 
Oil Creek ha\ing a capacity of sixty barrels 
per day, which he managed most successfully 
for three vears, when he sold it and returned 
to the lumber business. In i87() he went into 



306 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



the drug l)usiness, and until 1883 owned th6 
largest drug store in Warren. Since giving up 
the drug store Mr. I )a\is has been engaged in 
l)usiness as an oil-prothicer. 

.Mtliough a stanch Democrat, the subject of 
this sketch lias never been very acti\c as a 
])olitician. preferring to assist others rather 
than occu]\\' jniblic ofticc, and to de\'Ote his 
energies to his private interests and to the 
I)nblic interests of W arren. He serxcd a \ear, 
ho\ve\er. as constable of Warren borough 
with such capability and fidelity that he was 
importuned bv his fellow citizens to serve 
longer. He declined to do so because of the 
pressure of his own affairs, and his disinclina- 
tion for public ofifice. Mr. Davis is a liberal 
contributor to the support of the Presbyterian 
Church, of which his wife is a member. In 
1852 he married Xancy J. Miles, daughter of 
Robert Miles, a sketch of whom is herewith 
included. To him and his popular wife ha\'e 
been born two children: Jessie Miles Davis, 
wife of Dr. A. C. McAlpin of W^arren, Penn- 
sylvania, a sketch of whom is also given here; 
and .\imie Grace Davis, who resides with her 
parents. Mr. Davis is notable as the only 
charter member of Warren Lodge No, 339, 
I. O. (). F., who is now li\ing. The lodge 
was organized February 27. i84(). and Mr. Da- 
vis was its first secretarv. 

R( Jl'.l'.IM' MILKS, whose daughter, Xancy 
J. Miles, is the wife of the subject of this 
sketch, was one of the first and most ])romi- 
nent merchants and capitalists of Warren 
Count}'. He was born in Xortlnunberland 
County, I'ennsyKania, April 2, 1793. His 



parents, Robert and Katharine (Watts) Miles, 
were both I'ennsylvanians, and when Robert. 
Jr., was but four years of age the faniilv i)assed 
through Warren on their way to Sugar Clrove, 
Pennsylvania, their future home. Tiiere liis 
father did the work of an early settler on a 
tract oi land which, liad it been a rectangle, 
would measure nearly three miles square, 
Robert was the sixth of seven children, and, 
like the others, was educated by private tui- 
tion until, ;it the proper age, he was obliged 
to do his share of the work upon the large 
farms w hich his father had put into cultivation 
in 1797. It is thus established that the family 
was among the first to settle in Warren Coun- 
ty. Robert continued upon the home farm 
until the death of his father, when he engaged 
in the lumber trade, and remained actively and 
extensively connected with that interest until 
within a few years of his death. He was a vol- 
unteer soltHer in the War of 1812. In 1830 he 
was elected prothonotary of the courts of 
Warren County, being the fourth person to 
hold that office after its separate establishment 
in the county. The infinite variety of his tal- 
ents impelled him to enlarge ])erpetuall\- his 
business interests. He was identified very 
considerably with mercantile and real estate 
transactions, most of them in\-olving large 
amounts. He was one of the first to ])erceive 
the probable effect of the discovery of petro- 
leum on business operations, and engaged 
with ardor in its production. About the vear 
1859 he erected a refinery a short distance l^e- 
low Warren, and kept it in operation for a 
numi)er of years. His business tact and sound 
judgment were such proiuinent characteristics 



THIKTY-SE\ENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



307 



of his mind as to cause the advantageous issue 
of nearl)- all his investments. His connection 
with Warren as a resident of that borough be- 
gan with the year 1830. when he removed 
from Pine Grove, the place in which he began 
the manufacture of lumber. 

In politics Rol:)ert Miles was a zealous and 
an influential advocate of the principles of the 
\\'liig and Republican parties. In religion he 
evinced his faith b\' attaching himself early to 
the Presbyterian Church. He was very patri- 
otic and public-spirited, and to his efforts 
much of the prosperity of Warren County is 
to be ascribed. In business he was active and 
laborious to a degree that woukl have broken 
down a more feeble constitution. He was de- 
liberate in forming an opinion, but his decis- 
ions were jiractically irreversible. He was a 
great reader, and was well versed in general 
literature, in history and the chronicles of 
passing events. It was his habit to preserve 
carefully a record of all his business transac- 
tions. A spirit of benevolence pervaded his 
character and impelled him to give with great 
liberality to the support or assistance of those 
who needed and deser\'ed help. He died May 
II, 1877, aged eighty-five years. 

Robert Miles married Sally Smith of En- 
field, Conn., January 16, 1817, and by sustain- 
ing him in his early elTorts and crowning his 
latter days with comfort, she amplv justified 
the wisdom of his choice. She survived him 
until August 30, 1882. when she had reached 
the ripe age of eighty-eight years. They had 
a family of two sons and four daughters, all 
(if whom li\e(l to years of manhood and wo- 
manhood. Their names are as follows: Har- 



riet, who became Mrs. E. N. Rogers of 

Union, Pennsyhania: John, formerly an at- 
torney of Warren, Pennsylvania, where he 
died in 1855; Catharine, who became Mrs. C. 
D. Rogers of Jamestown, New York; Dwight, 
a resident of Osceola Mills, Polk County, Wis- 
consin; Nancy, wife of A. J. Davis of Warren, 
Pennsylvania: and Sarah, who was the wife of 
Dwight Allen of Jamestown. New York, 
where she died in 1853. 

DR. AMOS C. AIcALPIN, son-in-law of 
the subject of this sketch, is a prominent den- 
tist and an enterprising citizen of Warren, 
Pennsyh^ania. He was born at Clifton, On- 
tario, September 26, 1858, and is a son of Dr. 
Volney McAlpin, who now resides at Butler, 
Pennsylvania. Dr. ^IcAlpin came to Penn- 
sylvania when a child. He was educated at 
Grand Rapids, Michigan, and for a short time 
taught school in Texas. For several years he 
had practiced dentistry, but he took the neces- 
sary examinations at the Pennsylvania State 
Board of Dental Examiners in order to meet 
the requirements under the law creating a 
state examining board. He was declared fully 
qualified to practice dentistry, which jjrofes- 
sion he learnetl under the tutelage of his fath- 
er in this state. He immediately resumed his 
practice in Warren, where he since has most 
successfully followed his profession. He has 
a charming family, including four children, 
Robert Miles, Janet, Donald Davis, and Fred- 
eric. In politics Dr. McAlpin is an independ- 
ent Republican, who does not seek political 
distinction, tie was called upon to serve as 
burgess of Warren in 1893. He has for some 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



time been a leadint;- nicmher of the Warren 
Board of Trade: is a leader in musical circles, 
hcin!:^- pioniinciit in connection with both 
chnrch and ()])oratic nnisic. lie is a zealous 
exponent of L'ni\ersal Ihdihorhood, and a 
leader of Theosophy in W'aiTcn. Dr. McAlpin 
is interested in the Keystone (line Company 
and other industrial entcriiriscs. I lis fraternal 
associations are with North Star Lodge No. 
241, F. & A. M., of Warren; Occidental Chap- 
ter, 1\. A. M. No. _'35: Warren Conunandery 
No. A3. K. 'P.; New York City Consistory, S. 
T', R. S. ; Zem Zem Temple, Nobles of the 
Ahstic Shi'ine: and Warren Lodge No. 22t,, 
1;.. V. ( ). I*"., of which he was the chartered ex- 
alted ruler, lie also is ])roniinentl\' connected 
with the Lake V.r'w Dental Society, and has 
been connected with the I'ittsburg Dental Col- 
lege as a clinician since its organization in 
iS(/x 

The jniblisliers of this work take pleasure in 
annoinicing that portraits of Robert Miles, 
Alpheus J. Davis and Donald D. Mc.Mpin ap- 
pear on ]M-ece(ling pages. 




X\)l W-'^^V-"^^ R. D.XWSOX, a well- 
kniiwn .and ])ri)^,per<ius farmer of 
llarninm' tnw iishi]i, l'"(irest Coun- 
ty, La., was bdiii in the same lowiislh]) June 
14, I1S4A, and is a son of James (i. and Nancy 
(Dale) Dawson. He comes of nue of the ]iio- 
neer families of the count\, and, with one of 
his brothers and a sister, resides on the home- 
stead where they were reared, and which was 
the home for m;m\' years of their ]);uents. 
The grrmdparcnts of Walter K., Thomas 



Dawson and his wife. Hannah (Connely) 
Dawson, were both born in Center County, 
La., and settli'(l in llarmonv townshi]) soon 
after their marriage, about one hundred _\ears 
ago. The grandfather was a soldier in the 
War of 1S12. He and his bride, after remo\-- 
ing to Harmony township and m.aking a \erv 
hunilile beginning, pros])ered, and bv hard 
work and frugality reared a large family and 
became well-to-do. Thomas Dawson died in 
1S51, leaxing his wife and thirteen grown and 
married children. His wife survived him 
nearly twenty years, dying in 1870. She sleeps 
peacefully in Ripley, Chautauqua County, N. 
v., and her life partner is buried at Asbury 
Chapel, in Venango County, Pa. Thomas 
Dawson was born in Ireland about 1794. and 
when a young man he ami his brother and 
two sisters came to the United States, ac- 
companied by their widowed mother, who 
died at Stewart's Run, Pa., past middle life. 
Three ol their daughters are living at ad- 
vanced ages, Elizabeth, widow of Joseph Al ■ 
lender, being eighty-five years old, one sister 
being seventy, and a second sister si.xty-hve 
years of age. Mrs. .\llender was the sixth 
child. To-day, at the age of eighty-five 
years, she does not a])pear to be more th;m 
sixty-h\e and is ])ossessed of a fine memory 
and the \igor which is characteristic of the 
family. William, the first adult child of the 
grandparents of Walter R. to die, jiassed 
aw ay at the age of forty. 

James C Dawson, father of the subject 
hereof, was born on the farm now occu|)iecl b\- 
Mr. Dawson, his brother Jesse and his sister 
Marv. Nanc\- Dale, his wife, was a native of 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



309 



Center County, Pa., where she was born Octo- 
ber 25, 1813. The couple were married in 
Harmony township, and si)ent their Hves there- 
in, rearing a family of nine children, who grew 
to manhood and womanhood as follows: Wil- 
liam S., bom May 15, 1834, and died in Wash- 
ington, D. C in i<Sf)i, while scrxing in the 
L'nion Army; Mary, the eldest daughter, who 
is now with her two brothers on the old 
homestead; Caroline who is the wife <>f Adam 
Kanapp, residing in AX'arren Count v, and has 
f(un- children; 'rimnias, born June 9, 1841, 
removed to Iowa in 1865 and there died, 
in 1891, leaving four children; Isaac, born 
Novend)er 30. 1843, a farmer in \\'arren 
County, with a family of nine children; Walter 
K., the subject of this re\iew; Jesse D.. born 
May I, 1848, and now residing on the home- 
stead; Frances, wife of James York, of Oil 
City. Pa., having six children; and Emma, 
wife of J. S. Grove, a resident of Tionesta, 
with two children. As were their parents and 
grantlparents, these children are Methodists. 
The old homestead consists of about three 
hundred acres of fine land t)f which about fifty 
acres are under cidtivation. James G. Daw- 
son died in 1855, aged forty-seven years. 

Walter R. Dawson has actively followed 
farming and has been very successful. In poli- 
tics, as have been his brothers, he is a stanch 
Democrat and always has taken much interest 
in his party and its success. While lie has 
never sought ofifice or been a politician, he 
has been called upon to serve the township as 
collector, constable and pathmaster, and has 
most acceptably and faithfully filled these of- 
fices. Mr. Dawson is higldy respected and 



is pointed to as one of the most progressive 
citizens of Harmony township. His brother, 
Jesse D. Dawson, was road commissioner of 
the township for nine consecutive years. He 
also served a term as town collector and sev- 
eral times lias abl\- filled the oftice of path- 
master. 



fOIlX A. PROPER is a well known 
resident of Tionesta, b'orest Countv, 
■ 
]'a., who is now retired, ami whose ca- 
reer has been unusually interesting. The story 
of liis life is the tale of the self-made man who 
began in debt when a mere boy and by dili- 
gence, thrift and remarkable energy made his 
way rapidly and successfully, and who now, 
in the autumn of life, is able to enjoy the fruits 
of his early struggles and labors. Mr. Proper 
has been a resident of Tionesta since 1867. He 
was born in Plum township, \'enango County. 
Pa., September 15, 1815. 

The father of our subject, Daniel Pvoi)er, 
was born in the Schoharie "flats" of the Mo- 
hawk Valley, in the state of Xew ^'ork, about 
1794. His father, Samuel Proper, was a na- 
tive of Holland, who came to this country 
with his wife during the last century, and a few- 
years later settled in the wilds of Pennsylvania. 
He was one of the pioneers of Venango Coun- 
ty, where he became a well-to-do farmer. He 
reared three daughters and six sons and died 
in September, 1815, when the subject of this 
sketch was but two weeks old. His venerable 
wife survived iiim several years, and our sub- 
ject has fresh and delightful recollections of his 
kindlv. loving grandmother. The father of 



310 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Tolin A. anil two of his brollicrs seized in llic 
War of iSij. Mr. i'ropcr's niothtT was Mar- 
,^arct Archer, who was l)orn of Higlihind 
Scotcli parentage, 'i'lic ]iarents of onr su1)ject 
were married about 1S14. — tlie fatlier follow- 
ing farming during his life time, and Ijeing in 
good circumstances. They reared a family of 
seven sons and four daughters. Four sons 
and one daughter are vet li\ing. as follows: 
John A., the subject hereof; Daniel, who is on 
the old homestead in X'enango Count}- : 
Isaiah, who is also in \'enango County, and is 
wealthy; Josei)h. who is a farmer in the same 
place; and I"dlen. wi(U)w of James Hawthorn. 
Mr. Proper had biu a limited education in 
his youth, attending the old-time district 
school, walking three miles through dense 
woods to the log schoolhouse in which 
a log had l)een taken out and the open s])ace 
covered with greased papers which served as 
a window to admit light. He also attended a 
select school for a short time. At the early 
age of ele\en years he was hard at work as a 
])loughman. (^n reacliing his majority he left 
home to seek new fields of work. He had no 
money and started oiU with a new suit of 
coarse clothes and a debt of $17. His last work 
for his father was clearing ten acres of land 
and putting in wheat. He then worked three 
days for a dollar, spending the dollar for leath- 
er, with which, after making a last, he made 
himself a pair of shoes. He tlien bought sev- 
enteen dollars" worth of cloth, for which he 
v\as given credit, and his mother made him the 
suit of clothes. The next money he earned 
was two dollars for cutting 400 fence rails. 
Mr. Proper went into the pine-lumber region 



on the Conewango and .soon engaged as a pi- 
lot, — running lumber rafts from Warren, Pa., 
down the .Mlegheny l\i\erto Pittslnu'g and on 
the Ohio River to its mouth. This occu])ation 
he followed for thirty years, becoming one of 
the successful pilots who never stove a raft. 
He also ran the largest raft which ever went 
down the rivers. It was seventy-two feet long 
and sixty feet wide, and carried fifteen lum- 
dred thousand shingles to Pittsburg. 

Mr. Proper was married September 19, 
1847, to Sarah Ann Grove, and moving into 
Tionesta County, bought 1,300 acres of land 
and erected saw mills up the creek about seven 
and a half miles from Tionesta. He followed 
rafting from 1847 to 1867, marketing his lum- 
ber in Pittsburg. Louisville and Cincinnati. 
After cutting fifteen million feet of pine and a 
million feet of oak from his land he sold the 
tract, removed to Tionesta in 1867, and for 
over four years kept a tavern, known as the 
"Tionesta," which was pojuilar with the lum- 
bermen, and in which Mr. Proper made some 
$17,000. He rented the hotel, which was sub- 
sequently burned, and purchased his present 
home while he was running the hotel. He re- 
moved to this home, which is a fine, large resi- 
dence standing back from the highway, hav- 
ing a ground frontage of 300 feet. He also 
owned a tract of between Soo and 900 acres of 
fertile land. Mr. Proper took the timber ofif 
eighty acres of this land in one year, digging 
out the stumps and roots and cm])loying twen- 
tv men and several teams. 

Our subject and his wife have all their chil- 
dren living, — three sons and four daughters, — 
as follows: Oliver, who is at home and is su- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



311 



jierintendent of a mantle factory in Tionesta: 
John F.. who resides also in Tionesta. and has 
one son; Forrest, who is married and engaged 
in farming and oil-producing; Rosilla, who is 
the wife of Daniel Walters, and has three 
daughters; Alice, who is the wife of I'reeman 
Lanson, a Tionesta merchant, and has two 
daughters: Jeanette, who is the wife of Sam- 
uel \'arner, and resides near Litchfield, 111 , 
and has two sons and one daughter; and Uret- 
ta, a maiden, who is at home. 

Mr. Proper is a Republican in jiolitics. For 
ten years he was associate judge, and he has 
held several minor offices. He is not a pro- 
fessor of religion, but believes in deeds before 
creeds. He has lived a retired life for five 
years past, having been almost blind for two 
years. He has lOO acres of oil lands about 
twenty miles from his home, on which he has 
driven many paying wells. 

Sr HEODORE SCHULER, is actively 
q )\ engaged in following agricultural pur- 
suits on the homestead where he was 
born, 1866, in Pleasant township, Warren 
County, Pa. He received a good education 
in the district schools of his native county. 
Being reared on a farm he naturally adopted 
farming as his occupation, as his forefathers 
for several generations had been tillers of 
the soil. With, his ability and vigorous as- 
sistance, the affairs of the farm took a de- 
cided step forward. Although quite a young 
man. his strong personality and enterprise in- 
dicate for him a very bright future. He is 
progressive and ui)-lo-date in all his ideas, 



readily adopting an_\- new method which will 
lessen the labor on the farm or increase the 
farm products. His farm is stocked with the 
\-ery best breeds, and be jjlants only the best 
cereals. His motto that "the l)est is the 
cheapest" is strictly adhered to. He is now 
serving as a school director of his district. 

Leonard Schuler, great-grandfather of 
Theodore, was a native of Alsace, France, and 
from birth to death continued to reside in that 
country. His family consisted of the follow- 
ing four children: Kate (Smith); Mathias; 
George; and Jacob. Theodore's grandfather. 

Jacob Schuler was born in Alsace in 1784, 
at Sundhausen. After lea\ing school, he 
learned the art of \\ea\ing in linen, and fol- 
lowed that until 1812, when he enlisted in 
the army and fought for his country in the 
eventful war of 1812-14 against Russia. Dur- 
ing that war Jacob Schuler won great distinc- 
tion by his patriotism and bravery, as his doc- 
uments attest. In 1817 he was united in mar- 
riage with Catherine Hertzel, who was born in 
Alsace in 1780. After the war Jacob again 
engaged in weaving', but sul)se(|uently turned 
his attention to farming, following that occu- 
pation until the year 1855, when his death oc- 
curred at the age of seventy-one years. His 
wife survived him about six weeks, dying in 
1856, aged seventy-six years. They reared 
three children: Catherine (Lauffenberger); 
Philip: and Jacob, father of the subject hereof. 
It willjie obserxed that Jacob was a fa\orite 
name in the Schuler family, being handed 
down from father to son, through many gen- 
erations. 

Jacob Schuler. father of Theodore, w as born 



312 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



in Sundhausen, Alsace, December 17, 1827; he 
received iiis education in his native place, and 
after Icaxins;' scliciol hcs^an fai'niinq'. and fol- 
lowed thai occupation diligently initil 1849. 
when he w;is possessed with a desire to trv his 
fminiu- ill Aineiica. lie accordinqh' came to 
the I'nited Stales the same year and locatetl 
in W.arren (.'ounty, I'a. ( )n his arrival there 
he was dUered .L;reat inducenienis to go to 
("ahfornia, as that w;is the scene of the gold 
excilcnient of 1849. lint he preferred the 
slower and surer way of making a livelihood 
by cultivating the soil. He was one of the 
early settlers in Warren County, one of those 
l>ra\e men whose deeds will lie spoken of in 
later generations with unstinted praise. He 
selected a favored spot and began, with oth- 
ers, the arduous task of clearing the land, and 
l)rei)aring it for the plow. The land at that 
time was an almost unbroken forest, with only 
occasionally a habitation; but now the state 
is largely peopled with inlluential and leading 
citizens who are descendants of its pioneer set- 
tlers. After the numerous hardships and pri- 
vations incident to unaided toil in such a soli- 
tude, the rich alluvial soil was left exposed, 
and when culti\ated yielded sni-i)rising results. 
Thus the father of Theodore Schuler lived 
for many years, farming in summer and lum- 
bering in winter. He built a comfortable 
dwelling house on his farm and here he took 
his bride, in 1856. He married Mary U. Of- 
ferle, a daughter of Jacob OtTerle. She was 
lK)rn January 26, 1829, and died in February, 
1894, aged sixty-five years. Together they 
endured untold hardships and labored indus- 
triouslv to make a comfortable home. He 



was, in his political belief, a Democrat, and 
held various ofifieial positions, serving as 
school director, township treasurer, and town- 
ship collector. J'otli he and his devoted wife 
were conscientious members of the Lutheran 
Church. They reared three children, namely: 
Jacob, liorn in 1857; Theodore, the subject 
hereof, born in i8C)6; and Mary, born April 20, 
18O8. Jacob married Anna h'uhren and the 
living offspring of this union are Hilda. Leo 
and I'ldith. Mary is a most pleasing type of 
a Pennsylvania woman; she was well educated 
in the borough of Warren, and is a very ac- 
complished young lady, and a devout member 
of the Lutheran Church. 



J^Y"^^ • IjI'ACK, justice of the peace, (jf 
Pigeon, Pa., is one of the most popular 
'and inHuential citizens of Howe town- 
shi]), and is well known throughout Forest 
County. He was born April 2, 1856, at Sligo 
Furnace, Clarion County, Pa., and is a son 
of Henry V. and Elizabeth (Piatt) Black. 

The father of our subject was a native of 
Centre County, Pa., antl was born near Belle- 
fonte. He subsequently removed to Clarion 
County, where for years he was employed in 
the furnace as an ore setter. His death oc- 
curred in Clarion County, at a place called 
Cat Fish. He was a devout Christian man. 
an influential member of the Methodist 
Church, and at one time was a minister of 
the Gospel. He was an earnest Republican 
and supported that party by vote. 

J. W. Black was the recipient of a splendid 
education. After attending public school, he 




CLINTON S. MORRIS. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



315 



took a course at Corsica Academy, which was 
supplemented by thorough instruction in 
i\eid Institute at Reidsl)urg; a portion of that 
time was s]ient under that ahle instructor, 
James A. Ritchy. 

Mr. Black was twenty-two years of age 
when he attended his last term of school, but 
prior to that time had taught several terms, 
thus working his way through college. His 
education finished, he took up the profession 
of teaching, which he followed until 1892, 
teaching in Forest, Jefferson, and Clarion 
counties. In 1892, on account of ill health, 
Mr. Black was obliged to cease teaching- 
school. During his youthful days he had 
learned the trade of a carpenter, and, since his 
retirement' from teaching-, that has been his 
principal occupation. 

In 1886, he located at Pigeon, Forest Coun- 
ty, Pa., where he now li\'es, purchasing at that 
time a lot, upon which he has erected a hand- 
some residence and large, convenient barns. 
In addition to working at his trade, he keeps 
a large livery stable. 

On August 17, 1882, the subject of this 
sketch was joined in matrimony with Laura 
Porter, a charming daughter of Thomas Por- 
ter of Clarion County. This happy union re- 
sulted in the birth of nine children, as follows: 
Robert A\'.; Norman L. ; Gertrude C. ; John 
E.; Anna; Walter W.\ Lawrence W., Alary, 
and .\da \*. — the last three are deceased. 

Mr. Black is a stanch Republican, and has 
held all the principal township ofifices. In 
1896 he was elected justice of the peace, and 
is now filling that office in a manner which is 
creditable to himself and acceptal.)le to all fair- 



n-iinded citizens. 

In 1898 our subject was a candidate for 
nomination for assemblyman, but was de- 
feated by Dr. Towler. He belongs to the K. 
(). T. M. organizati(jn, and supports the doc- 
trines of the M. E. Church. Our subject has 
attained the standing in his community which 
n|)rightness, sobriety and attention to the bet- 
ter things of life are bound to give. He has 
always taken an active interest in everything 
that tends to the advancement of the town of 
I'igeon, where he hokls the esteem and re 
spect of his fellow townsmen. 



7TA LINTON S. MORRIS, one of 

I J| most influential business men of ' 

^^ -^rpn ( Viiinfv vvlinsf nnrtrnit ic r-irf 



if the 
War- 
ren County, whose portrait is present- 
ed on the opposite page, is the proprietor of 
the leading store at Garland, in which he car- 
ries a very complete line of drugs, groceries, 
fancy goods, and boots and shoes. He is also 
the owner of extensive landed interests and is 
identified with many business enterprises. He 
is a son of Josiah Stoughton and Mahala 
(Seely) Morris, and was born at Friendship, 
Allegany County, N. Y., June 21, 1843. 

The family has long Ijeen established in this 
country and our subject's ancestors w-ere in 
the thick of the strife in the Revolutionary 
struggle. His grandfather, Stephen Morris, 
who was born in 1770, near New Haven, 
Conn., resided during his childhood and 
youthful days with his grandfather, who seems 
to have been a very prominent man. He was 
but a lad at the time of the Revolutionary 
War, but had a vivid recollection of officers 



316 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



and soldiers visitiiifr liis s;randfatlier"s Ikmisc. 
and of the latter goint;- away willi thcni with 
his teams and being gone montlis at a time. 
His rememl^rance and description of his 
grandfather's home pictured it an ideal one. 
which tallies very nearly with the historic 
"Morris Homestead" at New Haven. Conn., 
hut there is no direct proof that it is the same. 
Ste])hen Morris' father entered the patriot 
armv at the commencement of the Revolution, 
and served until the close of the war. Phoelje 
L'ttcr. the grandmother of our subject, was 
born in 1763. being seven years older than his 
grandfather. From Iier many stories of sea 
life it may safely be presumed that she 
came from a family of seafaring men. 
She had a distinct recollection of the War 
for Independence, and was an eye wit- 
ness to the first bloodshed of that great 
struggle, she and her parents Ijeing on a 
visit to relatives who lived on the road from 
Boston to Lexington at the time the British 
soldiers marched out through Lexington to 
destroy the rebel supplies stored at Concord. 
She lias described scenes and incidents of that 
terrible march to and from that town, which it 
seems have never appeared in print. Shortly 
after marriage with Stephen Morris the\- went 
\^'est and settled at Catskill-on-the-Hudson. 
where the}- raised their family, which consisted 
of the following children: Ely: William; Jo- 
siah Stoughton; Stephen; Louisa; and Lo- 
renzo. 

Ely Morris lived in the vicinity of Catskill 
all his life, dying at the age of ninety years. 
Wc have no record of his familw his children 
all lieing girls who married and settled in the 



neighborhood of their old home. William 
Morris married Eliza Quay of Lock Haven. 
I'a.. and raised a family of eight children. fi\e 
boys and three girls. He and his sons served 
in the L'nion .\nuy during the late Rebellion 
with nuich honor. He died at the age of eigh- 
ty-fi\e years in the state of Kansas. His son, 
Charles A., is a \cr\ iirominent citizen of Ok- 
lahoma. Three of the boys and one girl are 
dead. Stephen Morris, the third child of Ste- 
])hen and Phoebe Morris, was a shoemaker by 
trade and lived a long and useful life, dying at 
Millport. Potter County, Pa., at the age of 
eighty years. His son Joseph was a soldier in 
the Union Army in the Civil War, and still re- 
sides with his family at Millport. A daughter. 
Mrs. Sarah Kenyon. also resides there. Louisa 
Morris married a Mr. Ford and li\ed in the 
northeastern part of New York State. Loren- 
zo Morris, the youngest of the family, lived in 
Allegany County, N. Y., where he died at the 
age of seventy-five years. He had two sons 
and several daughters. His oldest son was 
killed in the Civil War; the remainder reside 
at Millport. Pa. 

Josiah Stoughton Morris, the father of our 
subject, whose birth occurred January 8. 1808, 
came west from the banks of the Hudson 
about the year 1825. and settled in Xunda, 
Livingston County. N. Y. There he made the 
acquaintance of Mahala Seely of Southport, 
now a suburb of Elmira. Chemung County. N. 
Y.. and they were married. They subsequent- 
ly settled in the town of Friendship. Allegany 
County, N. Y. The Seely family came from 
Jersey City. N. J., in 1790. and settled in 
Soutlqiort. X. Y.. where many of them now 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



317 



live. This union was blessed by the birth of 
five boys and one girl, the two eldest boys dy- 
ing in infancy. The other three l)oys have 
honorable records for service in the Ci\ il War. 
having participated from the start to the finish 
of that struggle. Henry Josiah Morris is a 
prosperous farmer living near Cambridge, Pa. : 
Harriet Louisa Morris married Albert Hough- 
ton of Nunda, N. Y., and died in 1876, leaving 
five children, — her husband and eldest son and 
daughter are now residing at Syracuse, N. Y., 
and are connected with a bicycle establishment 
there; Edward L. ]\Iorris is a prominent in- 
surance man and justice of the peace of 
Youngsville, Pa. 

Clinton S. Morris, the suliject pf this per- 
sonal history, attended Friendship Academy 
for some time, but his studies were interrupted 
when the war broke out and he enlisted as a 
pri\ate in Company I. 85th Reg.. N. Y. Vol. 
Inf. He served in the army until the close of 
the war and has a record which is particularl}- 
honorable liecause of his extreme \-outh. He 
fought in the battles at Plymouth, Kingston, 
Raleigh, N. C, and Whitehall, and besides en- 
gaged in numberless skirmishes. He was cap- 
tured and made a prisoner in the battle at Ply- 
mouth and was confined in the famous Ander- 
sonville Prison, where he was subjected to the 
terrible treatment accorded the Union prison- 
ers there. At the close of his military career 
he resumed his studies at Friendshi]i. He later 
accompanied his family when they mo\'ed 
to Petroleum Center, Venango County, 
Pa., and in 1870 became a member of the firm 
of Johnson & Morris, druggists. Tn 1S71 he 
sold out his interest and removed to Garland, 



where he built and occupied the store he now 
owns and conducts. He stocked it with a gen- 
eral line of drugs and was quite suc- 
cessful fri)m the start. His business abil- 
ity and energy cpiickly manifested them- 
sehes and he branched out into other 
business enterprises. He became asso- 
ciated with Z. Mickle in the lumber busi- 
ness for four years and controlled considerable 
jiroperty. They erected saw mills, cut lum- 
ber, and shipped to Pittsburg and various 
Ohio markets. In 1880 Mr. Morris became 
sole ;)wner of this business and conducted it 
alone; he became the possessor of valuable 
timber lands and now owns a fourth interest 
in 6,000 acres in Tennessee. He owns 1,000 
acres in Pennsvhania and operates four saw 
mills and two shingle mills. He is interested 
with A. D. Xeill. Esq., of Marienville, Pa., and 
their combined plants have a capacity of 55,- 
000 feet of lumber and 100,000 shingles per 
day. Morris & Neill also own and operate two 
general stores at the mills. Our subject's store 
is the leading one at Garland, and is conducted 
in metropolitan style. He is a large stock- 
holder in the Mintzer Oil Company, owners of 
\-aluable oil property in Cranberry township, 
\'enango County, Pa., and they have in opera- 
tion 55 wells. In the vicinity of Garland he 
owns a fine stock farm, consisting of 200 acres 
of good farm land and 690 acres of pasture 
land; he has 38 head of valuable cattle. Mr. 
Morris bought the site of his present residence 
in 1872, and in 1898 tore down the old build- 
ing and erected his present handsome home, 
which is one of the most complete and best ar- 
ranged houses in the count}-. It was I)uilt 



318 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



from designs by Mrs. ■Vlorris and reflects great 
credit on her artistic taste and good judgment. 
It is finisiied in liard wood, and the music 
room, library, reception haU and dining rooms 
are models of beauty. On March 6, 1893, Mr. 
Morris and W. P. Xutting of Youngsville 
bought out the Youngsville Bank; our subject 
was installed as president and the latter as 
cashier, and this partnership continued until 
the autumn of 1898. when Mr. Morris' exten- 
sive outside interests compelled him to with- 
draw. 

In 1869, he was united in marriage with 
Mrs. Emily Birchard. who died .\pril 30, 1880. 
They had three children, all of whom are de- 
ceased. In August, 1881, he formed a second 
matrimonial alliance with Margaret L. Hamil- 
ton, a daughter of Jonathan and Sarah E. 
(White) Hamilton, and granddaughter of 
Archibald Hamilton. Archibald Hamilton was 
of Scotch-Irish descent and was born in the 
north of Ireland. Jonathan Hamilton was 
born in 1797, and was a prominent farmer and 
early settler of Pittsfield township. Warren 
County, where he died in 1859, aged .sixty-two 
years. Mrs. Morris was born at (jarland and, 
owing to the untimely death of her mother. 
the responsibility of household affairs early fell 
upon her shoulders and she fulfilled those 
duties until her marriage. Two children have 
blessed this union, namely: Ethel, who was 
born in 1883; and Ralph H., born in 1884; — 
they are both taking a course of study prepar- 
atory to entering college. Mr. Morris is an 
earnest church worker and has been an elder 
in the I'resbyterian Church since 1882, during 
which time he has done much to improve its 




condition. He has been a Mason for many 
years; and is a member of the W. G. W'ent- 
worth Post, No. 327, G. A. R., having served 
one term as chaplain. 



ARREX F. JONES is the efficient 
foreman of the Wheeler, Dusenberry 
& Company mills, located at New- 
town ;\Ii]ls, Kingsley township. Forest Coun- 
ty, Pa., and has charge of what is probably the 
oldest saw mill in Forest County. It was 
established in 183 1 and was the first mill oper- 
ated l)y the firm of Wheeler, Dusenberry & 
Co.; it is a water mill of great power, located 
on Tionesta Creek, twelve miles from the 
county seat. They manufacture all kinds of 
lumber, making a specialty however of hem- 
lock boards and joists. It is one of the old u]) 
and down mills, comprising two slabliers and 
a gang saw, which cuts twenty-six boards at 
once. They have a capacity of 15,000 feet per 
day, a very large output for that style of mill, 
but this is made possible by the fast running 
water of the Tionesta. They have also an 
edger and trimmer, an up-to-date lath ma- 
chine, and 5.000 acres of timber land. The 
firm owns all of the propert}' in the town, 
which depends entirely upon the mill for suj)- 
port. The material which is finished is carried 
upon the private railroad of the company to 
West Hickor)', and from there is shipped to 
markets at all points. This mill was the first 
that Nelson P. Wheeler, one of the most 
prominent men of the county, ever managed. 

Warren F. Jones, the capable manager of 
this ]ilant at the present time, is a thorough 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



ai9 



luiul crman. and well understands the business 
in all its phases. He is a son of Boyd M. and 
Sarah (Pettigrevv) Jones, and was horn in But- 
ler County, Pa., in 1855. 

Boyd M. Jones, the fatlier of Warren F., 
was born in Ohio, and received primary in- 
struction in the public schools there. Upon 
leaving school he learned the trade of a brick- 
maker, but was afterward employed in the 
lumber woods, doing all manner of work in 
the forests, cutting, teaming and jobbing. He 
removed to Butler County, Pa., in 1852, and 
there married Sarah Pettigrew of that county, 
and they reared eleven children. In 1864 he 
enlisted in the 107th Reg., Pa. Vol. Cav., and 
served in most of the engagements from that 
time until the close of the war, when he re- 
ceived an honorable discharge. He was a 
Democrat, aggressive in politics, but not an 
ofifice seeker. In religious attachments he was 
a Methodist. He belonged to the G. A. R. 
post. 

Warren F. Jones received a very limited 
schooling, but through his individual efforts 
obtained a goodly store of knowledge. As 
soon as he was large enough he went to work 
at cutting logs in the forest for T. D. Collins, 
and remained in his employ for six years. In 
1879 he accepted a position with Wheeler, 
Dusenberry & Co., doing various kinds of 
work in the mill, and in that capacity actjuired 
a thorough knowledge of every detail of the 
business. In 1888, \vhen a vacancy occurred, 
he was appointed to the position of foreman, 
having entire charge of the firm's interests at 
Newtown Mills. He has since tilled that posi- 
tion to the satisfaction of the tirm and with 



credit to himself. There are seventeen men 
employed in the saw and lath mills. He has 
also been postmaster for eight years, receiving 
the appointment during Harrison's adminis- 
tration. The store which is conducted for the 
benefit of employees of the company is also 
under his charge, and they carry a complete 
line of groceries and other necessaries of life. 
Mr. Jones was united in matrimonial bonds 
with Jane Osgood, a daughter of one of Forest 
County's pioneer citizens, and they had three 
children: Boyd H., deceased; Kate A.; and 
Jerry E. The two last named are attending 
school. After the death of his wife, Mr. Jones 
was again married, his second wife being Cora 
Pickard, who was born in Steuben County. N. 
Y., and they have a son, Warren H. In polit- 
ical affiliations he is a stanch Democrat, and 
has served as school director, town clerk and 
secretary of the school board. 



(L' 



HARLES F. WEAVER, the widely 
known and justly popular proprietor 
of the Agnew House in Tionesta, 
Forest County, Pa., was born in Fryburg. 
Clarion County. Pa., in i860. He is a son of 
Joseph and Elizabeth (Higgins) Weaver, and 
a grandson of Charles Weaver. The family 
originally was of Baden, Germany, but the 
great-grandfather of Charles F. Weaver was 
among the earliest settlers in the vicinity of 
Fryburg, Clarion County. 

The grandfather, Charles Weaver, was a na- 
tive of Freiburg, Germany. It was from this 
family that the name of their nati\e ])lace in 
the Fatherland was handed down and given 



320 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



to the town in Clarion County wliere tlie Wea- 
vers resided for manv \ears. Idiese an- 
cestors were industrious farmers and tlie\- 
settled in Clarion Ctiunly when il was a wil- 
derness, worked out _sjood farms and were 
well-to-do in their elderly years. The grand- 
father wedded Elizabeth Aaron of Westmore- 
land County, Pa., and he became (|uite 
wealthy, and eventually gave to three sons 
each a farm out of his earnings of years. The 
couple had three sons: Conrad, who died at 
the age of tifty-five years, leaving fourteen 
childreri liy three wives, and his third wife sur- 
viving him; Joseph, the father of our subject, 
wlio was born in Fryburg in 1838 and died 
there in 1895; and Jacob, who owns and con- 
ducts the Coulter House in Clarion, the coun- 
ty .seat of that county. Charles Weaver 
was grandparent to forty-three children, 
through his three sons. The mother of 
our subject, Elizabeth Higgins, was born 
in Clarion County, and is a daughter 
of Michael and Alary Higgins. She mar- 
ried the father of our subject when she 
was seventeen years of age, in 1859, and she 
now survives at the age of fifty-seven vears 
and is strong and unusually active, notwith- 
standing her age and the fact that site w'eighs 
220 ]iounds, and has been tlie mother of fif- 
teen children. Of these children three died in 
their infancy, and one, Cecelia, at the age of 
twenty-two years. Of the eleven children liv- 
ing, besides Clayton F., Joseph Alphonsos is 
a hotel clerk in Oil City, Pa., and Xorbert O. 
conducts a grocery in the same city. 

The father of tlie subject of this writing 
was in poor health for many vears and Charles 



at the age of eleven years began to earn wages 
in his efforts to assist in supporting the fam- 
ily, lie was reared to the toil of the farmer, 
and remained on his father's farm until lie was 
j(> years of age. He then went to ( )il City, 
where he worked as a clerk for several years, 
and finally bought the E.xchange Hotel in that 
city which he successfully conducted for six 
years. Liking the hotel business he decided 
to remain in' it Init to seek a new field, and in 
1894 he removed to Tionesta and bought the 
Central House. He kept the hotel for two 
and a half years and then sold it to H. W. 
Horner, making a good profit. He then re- 
turned to Oil City, where he engaged in the 
bottling l)usiness for about a year, and then 
he lost all he possessed through fire. Again 
removing to Tionesta, Mr. Weaver soon re-es- 
tablished himself in the hotel business, pur- 
chasing the Agnew House, w hich he now con- 
ducts. A very popular man with the travel- 
ing public, our sul)ject has built up a patron- 
age which is large and is ver\' coni])linientarv 
to his skill as the manager of a hotel, and to 
his many excellent qualities as a man. He is 
a genial, broadminded man, who wins friends 
easily and who retains them b_\- his neverfail- 
ing courtesy and his constant effort to provide 
the best there is in every way for the comfort 
and enjoyment of those who m;i\- be his 
guests. 

On February 12, 1S89, Mr. Weaver was 
united in marriage to Miss Ellen Vogelbacher, 
a nati\e of Lucinda, Clarion County, Pa., and 
a daughter of Joseph \'ogelbaclier. Their 
union has l)een blessed 1)\- five bright and 
comely children. The couple are active mem- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



321 



l)ers of the Roman Catholic Church, and are 
prominent in tlie C. M. B. A., and tiie L. C. 
B. A., respectively. 

Politically, Mr. Weaver is a Repuhlican, but 
lie has never had inclination for public office, 
and has escaped liy serving- as a member of the 
borough council. He is prominent as an Elk. 




ILLl.VAI PARKEI^l SIGGINS. 
Among the prominent and pros- 
jierous retired merchants of West 
Hickory, Forest County, Pa., the gen- 
tleman whose name heads this sketch, 
and who now occupies the position of 
postmaster, stands conspicuous. Mr. Sig- 
gins is a descendant from Irish ancestors, 
who crossed the ocean nearly a century 
since and settled in Forest County, Pa., about 
eighty-six years ago. The subject hereof was 
born on the old homestead May 13, 1840. 
He is a son of William and Jane (Hunter) 
Siggins, grandson of George and Jane 
(Young) Siggins, and great-grandson of 
James and Sarah (Hood) Siggins. 

James Siggins, when a young man, came 
to .Vmerica, possessing at that time ample 
means. He left Ireland about the time of the 
religious war and purchased a large amount 
of property in Westmoreland County, Pa. 
But he was too popular to remain wealthy 
and his numerous apparent friends proved 
traitors by asking Mr. Siggins to become se- 
curity for them, which he did and lost heavily 
thereby. Tliis seeming treachery on the part 
of friends whom he loved most dearly not 
only caused him much financial distress, but 



preyed upon his mind ami is supposed to 
h;ive hastened his death, as he died in his 
prime; his remains lie buried in Westmore- 
land County, Pa. 

George Siggins, grandfather of W. P. Sig- 
gins, was born in Drumcliff parish, County 
Sligo, Ireland. He crossed the ocean with 
his parents at the age of seventeen years. He 
was united in marriage with Jane Young, a 
daughter of the famous. M. E. J. Young. 
After marriage the young folks resided in 
Westmoreland County for some time, remov- 
ing later to Beaver County, and also making 
two or three other moves before thev tinallv 
settled on the farm where W. P. Siggins now 
lives, which they purchased in 18 12. The 
members of the Siggins family are justly 
proud of having retained possession of thi.-^ 
handsome estate, which was never i^ermitted 
to fall into the hands of strangers, but has de- 
scended from father to son from the time of 
its purcha.se by George Siggins in 1812 until 
the present day. George Siggins had two 
brothers and two sisters. The brothers are 
.\lexander. who found a home at Youngs- 
\-ille. Pa., where his death is known to have 
taken place: and William, who was a man 
of prominence, serving as justice of the peace 
and also as associate jndge of Warren 
County. One sister, Fanny, became the wife 
of a Mr. Beard, while the other sister, whose 
name has not been preserx'ed, married a Air. 
Simpson. 

George Siggins and his most worthy wife 
reared a family of eight children, six sons and 
two daughters, all of whom grew to matur- 
itv, reared families and are now transferred to 



322 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



the life bevond. The eldest, whose name was 
]uliii. died at the age of seventy-one years. 
The Ijeloved parents and many of their chil- 
dren lie Inn-ied in the Siggins family 1 uncial 
ground in Forest County. The family of 
George Siggins were noted for their general 
good health and great vigor of constitution 
and were remarkable for their longevity. 

William Siggins, father of our subject, was 
born in i8oS. pruljably in Warren County. 
1 lis wife, who was a Miss Jane Hunter before 
her marriage, was born at Tionesta in ]8io or 
iSii, where their marriage also occurred. 
Ten children blessed their union, all of whom 
grew to noble manhood and womanhood. 
Those now deceased are Florence Virginia, 
who was a young lady at the time of her 
death; Sarah Marilla, who died at eighteen 
years of age; Fsaac Plummer, unmarried, 
whose death, at the age of twenty-seven 
years, was the result of an unfortunate acci- 
dent; Alexander Hood, a lawyer, who died 
at Kansas City, Mo., and now sleeps in the 
Siggins burial ground; and Lewis Cass, who 
was a resident of Forest County, Pa., and died 
of typhoid fever while in the prime of life, 
leaving a widow to mourn his demise. Those 
living of this interesting family are John, a 
retired merchant and land speculator in Tid- 
ioute; William Parker, subject of this review; 
Jane ^'oung, widow of \\^ C. Barnes, of Rip- 
ley. Chautauqua County, N. Y. ; George W^, 
residing near Tidioute, and engaged in farm- 
ing and oil speculating; and Andrew Jackson, 
a farmer and f)il ])rt)ducer, now residing on 
the old homestead. The elder Mr. Siggins 
died in the fall of 1864 and was followed two 



years later by his widow. He was a man of 
])rominence in his conununil\- and strictlv ad- 
hered to the principles of the Democratic 
party, rearing his sons to the same belief. He 
served as couiU\- commissioner of Venango 
County, and as justice of the peace for more 
than twenty years, up to the time of his death. 
He joined man}- a couple in marriage, some- 
times going twenty miles to perform a cere- 
mony of that kind, and then, as was often the 
case, was not paid for his trip. 

Oiu' sul)ject possesses a war record quite 
worthy of mention in this review. On August 
6, 1861, he enlisted in the ranks of the Union 
Army as a private in Company G, 83d Reg., 
Pa. Vol. Inf., and was discharged as sergeant. 
He participated in many battles and was twice 
wounded. At the battle of Fredericksburg 
his breast was crushed in l)y a piece of shell 
and he was woumled in the leg in the battle 
of Gettysburg. He was mustered out of serv- 
ice and honorably discharged at Harrisburg, 
September 22. 1864. Returning home, he 
was united in marriage soon after, on the 
seventh day of November, 1864. Mr. and 
Mrs. Siggins were blessed with the following 
nine children: Violetta; William, Jr.; Lsaac; 
Forest E.; Bertha; Truman C. ; Ennna M.; 
I'earl .\., and Earl A. X'ioletta was l)orn Sep- 
tember 22, 1865. She became the wife of 
Corbett Agnew, of Kinzua, Vi\.. and has two 
children. William, Jr., was born December 11, 
1868. He is married, resides in Forest County, 
and has one daughter. Isaac was born Sep- 
tember 15, 1870. He resides in West Hick- 
ory with his wife and three children. Forest 
E. was born June 8, 1873. He is an oil-well 





ELMER L. CHURCH. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



325 



driller and is still unmarried, residing in Tid- 
ioute. Bertha was born December 20, 187=^. 
She is the wife of Jolni Young and has two 
children. Truman C. was born Alay 24, 1877. 
Hl' is also an oil-well driller and resides in 
West Hickory. Emma M. was born March 6, 
1 88 1. She is the wife of Frank Shaw- and has 
one child. Pearl A. and Earl A. were twins 
and were born November 20, 1883. All the 
children of Mr. and Mrs. Siggins are married 
except three. Tliey have had nine grandchil- 
dren, five of wlujm are now living. Their 
daughter Enmia, when not in school in West 
Hickory, which she and the '^twins'' still at- 
tend, assists her father in the postofifice. 

Mr. Siggins was postmaster for fourteen 
years consecutively up to Cleveland's term, 
was reappointed to the same position in 
March, 1895, and is holding over in McKin- 
ley's administration. He is a member of the 
G. .v. R. and has been ailjutant in that organ- 
ization. Like his beloved father, he is a Dem- 
ocrat and has served in several town offices, 
some of which he resigned to become post- 
master. Mr. Siggins has also been engaged 
in the mercantile business for a number of 
years, but has lately devoted all his time to 
his post-office duties. 



~^j^ LMER E. CHURCH. Among the 
P many jM-ominent citizens of Warren 

'^^■"-^ County, Pa., who have devoted 
many years to the cause of education not one 
is more justly entitled to a high place among 
educators than the gentleman whose name 
heads this brief life sketch and whose portrait 



is herewith show-n. Mr. Church adopted the 
profession of teaching when little more than a 
youth, and followed that honorable calling un- 
interruptedly for a period of twenty-si.\ years, 
teaching both in New York and in Pennsyl- 
vania, and it is needless to state that he w-as 
eminently successful as an educator, unfolding 
in the school room many original plans and 
schemes for the government and submission 
of fractious and unruly pupils, and imparting 
knowledge to them in an intelligent and ac- 
ceptable manner. He enjoyed the reputation 
of a most thorough instructor, and was an ad- 
vocate of the principle that order and cleanli- 
ness stand next to godliness. He also be- 
lieved it best to "make haste slowly." These 
were important factors in his success as a 
teacher. 

In 1896 Mr. Church retired from his pro- 
fession to his farm near Lottsville, in Freehold 
township. This farm was inherited by him 
from his honored father, and for the past 
three years our subject has derived nnicli 
pleasure from its management. Trulv there is 
no life happier or healthier than a farm life. 
when one's circumstances are easy and hard 
work is not compulsory, as is the case with Mr. 
Church, who has saved many golden eagles, 
and farms only for health and pleasure. He 
was born at Bear Lake, l^a.. Januarv 18, 1852. 
He is the only .son of Ezra M. and i'amcla 
(Hamilton) Church, and grandson of Ezra 
and Rachel Church. 

Ezra Church, grandfather of our subject, 
was born May 2, 1794. in Onondaga County, 
N. Y., where he attended school and obtained 
such an education as was available in tho.se 



326 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



pioneer days. When he had attained Iiis man- 
liood lie engaged in farming in his nati\e 
county until 1S30, when lie nioxed to Cliau- 
tauc|ua County. X. ^'.. and followed the same 
liursuits uiUil out off by deruli, in 1840, while 
yet in the prime of his life, having readied only 
his fort\'-sixth year. His wife Racliel was born 
]\lay 10. 1799. and sursived her hushand until 
she reached the advanced age of ninety-seven 
years. Tliey reared a family of three sons and 
two daughters, namely: (iideon P.: V./.va W.; 
Lyman: lietsy A., \\ife of I. A. Root: and 
Sarah A., wife of J. L. I'arker. 

Ezra iM. Church, father of our subject, ac- 
companied his p.irents to Chautauqua County, 
X. v.. when in his tenth year, an<l was edu- 
cated in the schools of that comity. He was 
a very young man when his father died, and 
the care of the family fell liea\il\- ujion his 
_\dung shoulders, yet he fulfilled the charge 
and with manly courage directed the family 
affairs until all the inenibers of it were able to 
care for thenisehes. In 1S52 he removed to 
I'ear Lake. I'a., and ])urcliased 70 acres of 
farming land. .\s the land was only partly 
cleared he at once began cultivating the 
cleared portion, and cleared the remainder 
during the following winters. His marriage 
to Pamela Hamilton, an accomplished and ed- 
ucated lad) , occurred soon ;ifter his renio\-al to 
the \icinil\' of liear Lake. 

.Mrs. Church was a native of Angola, N. Y., 
and received her education at Westfield Acad- 
emy. Two children blessed her most happy 
union with Mr. Church, and were named as 
follows: Mary E. (Martin): and Elmer L.. the 
subject of this sketch. The elder Mr. Church 



removed, in 1864, from his Rear Lake home 
to the farm near Lottsville, now occupied bv 
our subject. He built extensive barns and de- 
voted his .'tttention thereafter principally to 
dairying and cattle raising. He allied himself 
vvitli the Rei)ul)lican party and followed its 
leadership in national, state and local politics, 
filling many ])ositioiis of trust in Ereehold 
township, such as township and road commis- 
sioner, school director, etc. He departed 
from his earthly home in October, 1893, aged 
seventy-three years, and Mrs. Pamela Church 
died June 5, 1899, aged seventy-nine years. 
Both he and his wife were faithful members of 
the Baptist Church. 

Elmer L. Church recei\'ed his priniarv edu- 
cation in the district schools of his native coun- 
ty, and finished his studies at the Edinboro 
State Xornial School. He chose for his life 
work the profession of teaching, and imme- 
diately after leaving school engaged in that 
calling, meeting, as pre\'iously mentioneil, 
with unlimited success. He wooed aiul won 
for his wife Flora .\. Parker, a lady of rare ac- 
coini)lishnients. Mrs. Church is a daughter of 
John L. and Sarah A. Parker, and received 
her primary education in the state of Wiscon- 
sin: subset|uentl\- her parents removed to 
Iowa, where her education was completed, af- 
ter which she engaged in teaching, following 
that profession in Iowa for a period of fi\e 
\ ears. She taught one term in Warren Coun- 
ty. Pa., and discontinued teaching to become 
the wife of our subject. She presented her 
husband with one child, Fernley, born in 1886. 

Li jiolitical circles Mr. Churcli is known as 
a stanch Republican. Like his father, he, also. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



327 



is a disciple of the Baptist Clnircli. In liis ad- 
dress lie is affable and pleasant, and it is a real 
pleasure to ho counted as his friend. 



/|C?)eORGE H. KILLMER, the junior 
\^j5l member of the firm of Heath & Kill- 
mer, leading druggists in Tiones- 
ta, Forest County, T^a., is one of the most suc- 
cessful and most prominent of Tionesta's lousi- 
ness men. He was horn in Tionesta January 
ID, 1870, and is a son of William and Anna 
Catherine (Aleth) Killmer. 

The subject hereof, George H. Killmer, is 
one of a family of noble children who, in their 
father's heart and life, have largely taken the 
])lace of the mother, who, at the early age of 
thirty-seven years, was summoned from their 
home circle to the world beyond. The sub- 
ject of this sketch was primarily educated in 
the schools of Tionesta and was in college 
when he discontinued iiis studies to take up 
the profession of druggist, in 1896. The fimi 
of which he is a member is very enter])rising; 
their patronage is among the largest in their 
line in this county. Although they have been 
in business a coni])arati\ely short time, 
Messrs. Heath & Killmer ha\-e an extensi\-e 
and \er}- handsome drug store in a fine three- 
story brick building, which tlicv own, and 
which is admirably adapted to their trade. Mr. 
Killmer is prominent in the I. O. O. F., and 
is a thoroughly wide-awake and public-spirited 
citizen who is very highly respected by all who 
know him. 

The father of the subject of this sketch. Wil- 



liam Killmer, is one of the oldest residents and 
most worthy citizens of Tionesta. He was 
born in Hesse, Germany, March 30, 1825, and 
left the fatherland nearly forty-seven years 
ago. In his seventy-fourth year, he is strong 
in body and vigorous in mind, coming of a 
family notable for stature and strength. Mr. 
Killmer inherited great physical power, and 
resembles his father, — standing six feet high 
and weighing two hundred and twenty-five 
])Ounds. Upon reaching his majorit\' he was 
drawn for service in the German army, and 
served in the famous cavalry troop at the Em- 
peror's court, a magnificent body of stalwart 
men, always selected for their stature and 
strength, — the most perfect physical types to 
be found in Germany. Of this troop of caval- 
ry, the personal guard and escort of Germany's 
ruler, Mr. Killmer was noted as one of the fin- 
est specimens. He was almost a giant in bod- 
ily force, agile and athletic, and delighted in 
vaulting over his horse, back and forth, in his 
armor, which weighed sixty-four pounds and 
included helmet, shield, breast-plate and a 
sword four feet in length. His noble sire. 
Henry Killmer, grandfather of our subject, 
was also a very large man, standing six feet 
and four inches high. He ser\ed in the Ger- 
man army in the time of Xajioleon. lie was 
a wagonmaker b\- trade anil owned a farm of 
fifty-two acres, an unusually large farm i)rop- 
erty in Germany, except among the landed 
owners. His wife was Margaret Isenteager, a 
woman of fine intellect and highly educated 
and cultured. They were weilded in 181 5. 
and reared three sons and three daughters, all 
of whom li\ed to adult age, — but of whom the 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



father of tlie subject hereof, William Kilhner, 
is now the only survivor. In 1852 William 
KiiliiH'r and his l)r(itlun- 1 lonrv left tlieir na- 
tive land and canu^ in this country. Their 
mother was sad oxer their deiiarture and de- 
clared she never would attain see them alive. 
Her .sorri)\v at the departure of the sons i)os- 
sihlv hastened her demise, which occurred in 
1853, at the age of sixty-three years. The 
two sons. William and Henry, made the voy- 
age from I'.remcn to P>altimore, Md., by sail- 
ing vessel, in thirty-nine days. After spend- 
ing two weeks at Little York, Pa., they jour- 
neved on to Tionesta. where they joined Jacob 
Wenk, whom they had known in Ciermany. 
William Kilhner ser\ed a long apprenticeship 
in Germany and learned the trade of a shoe- 
maker, which he had been urged to do by his 
father, but which was not entirely to his lik- 
ing. He paid $24 for the privilege of learning 
the trade, as then was the custom, and he trav- 
eled about considerably, working as a shoe- 
maker in many towns and cities. He made 
himself an unusually fine workman, and fol- 
lowed the trade for many years after coming 
to Pennsvlvania. He has been acknowledged 
as having no superior where he has been 
known, especially as a maker of luiots. and for 
many years he has made the best footwear 
for manv of Tionesta's most promineiU men. 
He learned his trade as a shoemaker of his 
brother Henry. The latter was also of large 
stature, being six feet and four inches tall. 
Henry died at the age of thirty-one years, a 
victim of typhoid pneuinonia, and leaving a 
widow and one son. ( )n December 17. 1852, 
the father of our subject was imited in mar- 



riage to Anna Catherine Meth, who came 
from the same place in Cjermany as Mr. Kill- 
mer when she was young, and iiad long been 
a resident in this state. The familv now con- 
sists of fue children, three sons and two 
daughters, — all of whom are now living, as 
follows: Mary, who is at home and is her fath- 
er's housekeeper; Louisa, who also is at home 
and assists in managing the happy household; 
William Frederick, who has for years been a 
\alned assistant in the store of Mr. Robinson, 
with whom he has been since a boy, and who 
also is engaged in business as a general mer- 
chant in Armstrong County, where his partner 
has the active management of the store; 
Charles Joseph, who resides in Tionesta, and 
has a wife and son; and George H., the sub- 
ject of this sketch. Mr. Killmer and his sons 
are attendants at the Presbyterian Church, 
while his daughters are Methodists. Three 
other children are dead, a son who died in in- 
fancy, Anna Catherine, who died at the age 
of foiu" and a half years, and Martha, who was 
the wife oi Cyrus Murphy, and died October 
S, 1895. The family live in a handsome resi- 
dence, which was erected in 1882. 




LLl.X.M .\. t;RF..WES. Among 
W.irren's most ])rominent and active 
men is the celebrated artist and pho- 
togr;;])lier whose name heads this sketch. Mr. 
Cu-eaves has a thorough knowledge of art in 
all its intricate fortns, and the people of War- 
ren are justly proud of his well-developed tal- 
ent. He was born in Watertown, N. V.. 
March 12, 1847, and is a son of Samuel and 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



329 



Margaret (Elder) Greaves. 

Samuel ( Ircaves is a native of Nottingham, 
England, and came to America in 1842, set- 
tling in \\'aterto\vn. N. Y.. where he still re- 
sides. He first engaged in manufacturing 
woolen goods, following this for a consider- 
able period — hut in recent years he has been 
a printer. He married Margaret Elder, 
daughter of James Elder of Watertown, and 
they have reared seven children, namely: Wil- 
liam A., our subject; Edwin E.; Samuel G., 
Jr.; Mary, deceased; Annie (Lepper); James, 
deceased; and Jennie (Dewey). 

William A. Greaves, the subject of this 
biography, received his early education in his 
native town, and when very young showed a 
decided talent for artistic work, for at the age 
of twelve he painted several portraits. He 
went to New York city and began his studies 
in the Academy of Design, corner 23d street 
and 4th avenue, and continued them under 
Prof. Thomas Le Clear, 51 West loth street. 
Mr. Greaves first opened a studio in Water- 
town, N. Y., and in i86g went to Utica, N. Y. 
In 1872 he went to Warren, Pa., and, with the 
exception of brief trips, has made this town 
his home ever since. "Slv. Greaves does work 
in crayon, pastel, water color, and oil-paint- 
ing. He has calls in various parts of the 
country to do portrait work, and on one trip 
spent over a year in Kansas City, Mo., where 
he made oil paintings of many prominent resi- 
dents of that city. 

Mr. Greaves has made portraits of ex-Gov. 
Beaver of Pennsylvania; M. S. Quay; ex-Gov. 
Davies; ex-Lieut.-Gov. Stone; Samuel J. Ran- 
dall; Galusha A. Grow; ex-Judge Scofield; ex- 



Judge Noyes; Dr. Curwen; Theodore Hostet- 
ter's children, of Pittsburg, Pa.; Senator ^^c- 
Donnell and wife, of W^ashington, D. C; and 
of Lieut. -Gov. I^ewis N. W'atres. of Scranton, 
Pa. During his ])rofessional career he has 
painted about one thousand portraits. He 
also does landscape work, and handles artist 
supplies. Mr. Greaves learned photography, 
giving this branch special study, in order 
to secure aid in his artistic work — and in his 
gallery may be found many faces of Warren's 
best people. He is a prominent man in fra- 
ternal asociations, belonging to the Masonic 
order, in which he is as high as the Mystic 
Shrine, and being also a member of the Elks, 
Iv. of P., and Knights and Ladies of Honor. 

Mr. Greaves is very highly spoken of, and 
his prominence in all town afl^airs. both in an 
artistic and business way, has won for him a 
host of well-wishing friends. Mr. Greaves 
married, in 1871, Sarah G. Dale, daughter of 
Hon. John A. Dale, and their union has been 
blessed with four children, as follows: Eliza- 
beth; Dale; Gertrude; and William A., Jr. 



§AMES B. WATSON, who is one of the 
most prominent and most progressixe 
citizens of Marienville, Forest County. 
Pa., has long l)een known far and wide as the 
genial and successful proprietor of the Wat- 
son House, the most popular hotel in the town 
in which he resides. Mr. Watson is a son of 
.\braham and Rachel (Black) Watson, and 
was born in .\rmstrong County. Pa., Decem- 
ber 9, 1827. Our subject for the past few 
years has practically lived a retired life, al- 



330 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



tliough lie lias neglected none of his important 
Inisiness interests. He is noted for a remark- 
ahly good nicnii)r\ . and he is a recognized au- 
thority on many suhjects. especially on the 
Bible, political matters, national history, and 
jiast c\ents in the \icinit_\- of his home. 

The great-grandfather of our subject, James 
^\ atson, was a nali\c of the nt)rth of Irel.'uid, 
who came to ilie I'nitcd States some time 
previous to the Revolutionary ^^'ar. Tt is be- 
lieved he first settled near Baltimore, Md., 
where he resided until the colonies declared 
their indei)endence. He then removed to what 
is now Center (/ounty. Pa., where he followed 
farming. He was related to the Johnsons. 
Williams, and Greggs, and to the families of 
(ien. Irving and Gov. Curtin. Mr. Watson 
was twice married. By his first wife he reared 
a family of four children: William. Thomas, 
James, and Lot. B>y his second wife he had 
si.\ children, as follows: Charles: Joseph; 
John: Margaret, who married a ]\Ir. Gregg; 
Nancy, who married Gen. Irving; Hannah, 
who married a ]\rr. Johnson. 

Thomas \\'ats()n. the paternal grandfather 
of the subject of this biographical review, was 
born in Center County, Pa. He was one of 
the most jirominent men of his time in the 
county. During the War of 1812 he was in 
the commis.'iary deiiartment of the army. 
principally engaged in shipping cattle through 
to Erie. Pa., where large numbers of the sol- 
diers were encamped. The cattle crossed a 
ford in Clarion County, which was then called 
Bullock's Ford, and retains the name to-day. 
Mr. Watson was one of a colony of people 
who removed from Center to Clarion Conntv, 



and settled at what is called Polk Furnace. 
In iSij he renitned to Deer Creek on Clarion 
l\i\er, where he drilled the first well for salt 
in Clarion County. He operated the salt well 
successfullv for some time; he also struck an 
oil well, but lie did not realize its \-alue and 
abandoned it. He next moved to what is now 
known as the Watson farm, near Sligo, where 
he impro\'ed land and resided until he died, 
about 1825. Mr. Watson was united in mar- 
riage to Hannah Stanford, and they reared 
eleven children: James, Mary, .\braham, 
Nancy, Margaret. Catherine, Hannah, Lot, 
Elizabeth, Sarah, and Jane — all of whom have 
raised families. 

Abraham Watson, father of our subject, re- 
cei\'ed a common-school education such as 
the country then afiforded. He engaged in 
lumbering and farming, which business he 
followed up to ten years prior to his death, 
when he retired and resided on what was 
known as Pine Hollow Farm in Perry town- 
ship, which was at that time occupied l)y the 
subject of this review. The homestead farm 
contained eight_\'-five acres of land, and was 
amongst the first farms cleared in the town- 
ship. All the Watson family were reared in 
Perry township, near the homestead upon 
which Abraham passed the final years of his 
life. Politically, Abraham \\'atsou was a 
Jacksonian Democrat, and voted twice for 
Jackson, but he did not support Horace Gree- 
ley when he ran. He filled several township 
offices with much credit to himself, and satis- 
faction to his neighbors. He was an old- 
school Presbyterian, and liberal in his views. 
His home was the stopping place for all min- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



331 



isters. He was known and greatly respected 
as a Christian man. Mr. Watson died in 1876, 
liis wife hax'int;' i)assc<l to her tinal rest in 1864. 
To tile conijle were l)orn tlie following chil- 
dren: Clemens; James 1j., the suhject of this 
sketch; Jane; Hannah; Cohmihus, who died 
yonng; Margaret: Sarah; Thomas; and Rachel 
Ann. Gcmcns married a Miss Shirk of Clar- 
ion Connty. and they now reside in White- 
side County, 111., where Mr. Watson is a pros- 
perons farmer. Jane married Harrison El- 
liott, and the couple now reside in Cleveland, 
Ohio. They have l.ieen l)lessed with ten chil- 
dren, as follows: Bennett, Calvin, Emmett, 
Enmia, Mary. William, Robert, Kincade, 
Anna and one who died young. Hannah was 
united in marriage to John ^Vick, and they 
reside in Clarion Count)-. They have had 
these children: Emily, Watson, William. An- 
nie, Jemiie, John, Maggie, Blanche, who 
was accidentally killed, and Abraham, who 
died in infancy. ]\rargaret, now dead, was 
the wife of M. Y. Howe, and she left one 
child. Margaret. Sarah married Samuel Ru- 
jiert, and they reside on the old W'atson home- 
stead in Clarion County. They ha\e been 
parents of fue children: Emih-, Annie, Clem- 
ens, and Watson: and one who died in infancy. 
Thomas was a soldier in the Union Army in 
the Civil War, and died at Newport. Rachel 
Ann wedded John M. Reichert. They reside 
in Perry township. Clarion County, and have 
six children: Thomas M., Lizzie, McK^ay, Ed- 
win, Bertha, and William. 

The subject of this biography, James B. 
Watson, received such primary education as 
the common school afforded, and sup- 



plemented it by hard study in his spare hours. 
He lived with his father until 1869, when he 
removed to Clarion township. In i860 he 
began his active business career, and was 
among the first to operate in the Titusville oil 
field, where he remained for a year. He then 
located on the .Mlcghcny River, and was very 
active in the oil business until the war broke 
out. when he abandoned bis business and en- 
gaged in recruiting companies for the Union 
Army. He raised a company, of which he 
was conmiissioned captain. l)Ul owing to ill 
health he was unable to enter active service 
in the field. He returned to the oil business, 
and also engaged in farming until 18^9. In 
that year he was elected prothonotary of 
Clarion County, which office be filled with 
honor until 1876. He next resumed his oper- 
ations in oil, which he continued until 1880, 
during which period he jnit down twenty- 
seven wells. In 1877 he bought 120 acres of 
oil land, for which he paid $18,000; also an- 
other tract of farm land, for which he paid 
.$2,000, buying both with a view to producing 
oil. The lands were in Clarion County. Sub- 
sequently Mr. Watson was one of the heaviest 
oil operators in that section. In 1880 our sub- 
ject resumed the lumber business, in which 
he had been interested previously at various 
times. He was also engaged in mining iron 
ore for a short time. In 1882 our subject re- 
moved to Marienville, bought land, and erect- 
ed a hotel. The building was destroyed by 
fire on New Year's night, 1890. With his 
characteristic energ\- and enterprise, Mr. \\'at- 
son built a new hotel, moving into it on June 
2 7,. 1890. For several years the hotel was the 



332 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



most popular resort in Marienville, and its 
genial and cnterjirisinj;' ])roprietor won wide 
reputation as a most successful host, one who 
always placed the conn'ort of his patrons 
aliove e\'erything else and who spared no 
|)ains to make his hotel the best to he found iii 
his count}-. 

In politics .Mr. Watson alwa\s has been an 
,'udent heliexer in the ])rincip]es of Democ- 
racy, and has held several township offices. 
Religiousl}-, he is an old-school Presbyterian 
and an absolute temijerance man in all re- 
spects. 

On September 23, 1858, Mr. Watson was 
united in marriage to Margaret C. Murray, 
daughter of John and Hannah Murray. To 
them have been born three children, as fol- 
lows: Hannah K., who died "Slay 18, 1899, 
agetl twenty-eight years; Edwin A., born Jan- 
uary 14. i8!)4, who married Maud Kiefer; 
and John Thomas, born May 10, 1870, who 
resides with his parents. Mrs. W^atson is a 
Presbyterian. Mr. W'atson was formerly a 
Mason and a member of the I. O. O. F. and 
the P. O. S. of A. 




R. CII.\RLh:S H. J.\COI!S, a suc- 
(£) M cessful medical ])ractitioner of 
Youngs\ille. Pa., as well as a highly 
respected citizen of that place, was born in 
Worth township, Mercer County, Pa., April 
27, 1856, and is a son of the late Isaac K. 
Jacobs, who was a native of Ohio. His 
mother, who is still living; is also a native of 
Mercer County, Pa. They were parents of a 
large familv of children, fi\e sons and six 



daughters, as follows: Sarah J. (Howe); Les- 
ter K.; John L.; Lizzie A. (Thompson); Wil- 
liam T. ; Charles H., subject of this sketch; 
Ella J. (Mechlin); Clara M.; Julia O. (Bag- 
nail); Elmer L. ; and Lillian O. (Stewart). 

Lester K., the eldest son, enlisted in Co. G, 
1 00th Regiment Pennsylvania ^^)l. Infantry. 
in 1863, and was wounded in July of the .same 
\car, in the battle of The Wilderness. He w as 
immediately removed to the hospital, but al- 
though every attention was given him, he died 
-Vugust 2, and was buried at City Point, \'ir- 
ginia. 

Dr. Charles H. Jacobs attended school in 
his native district, after which he attended 
normal school in Grove City, Pa., from which 
he graduated in 1880. The same year he en- 
tered the Medical Department of the Western 
Reserve University at Cleveland, Ohio, from 
which he also graduated in 1883. The follow- 
ing year, in 1884, Dr. Jacobs located in 
Youngsville, W'arren County, Pa., and began 
the practice of his profession. He establishetl 
himself in a neat, attractive ofifice and soon en- 
joyed a fair patronage of the people of that \i- 
cinity. Since then his practice has steadily in- 
creased, and is now second to none in the 
town. The doctor is progressive, and keeps 
abreast of the times in his profession. In 1891 
he took a post-graduate course in the Poly- 
clinic Medical College of New York. 

Miss Belle Jackson, second daughter of G. 
A. Jackson, one of the most prominent citi- 
zens of Youngsville, Pa., became the partner 
of his joys and sorrows. Their happy union 
was celebrated in the year 1885. ]\Irs. Jacobs 
is a native of Young\ille, and was liorn Jan- 




JA.MKS KIWEAR. 



THIRTV-SE\'F,NTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



335 



iiary 9, 1866. Their home was rendered still 
happier by the addition of one son to the fam- 
ily circle. This is Ralph J., their only child, 
who was born on October i, 1889. 

Dr. Jacobs is a member of the Warren 
County Medical Society, of which he is now 
l)residcnt. He is also iirominently connected 
with the I. O. O. F. In his political affilia- 
tions he coincides with the Republicans. He 
has one advantage over his colleagues which 
must not be overlooked. He is a medical at- 
tendant at the Rouse Hospital near Youngs- 
ville. Thus his professional ability is recog- 
nized, and is justly entitled to a high place in 
the estimation of his fellow associates, and 
also of the general public. His pleasant and 
courteous bearing has won for him the good 
will of the citizens, while his close application 
to his profession, and the wonderful success 
that has attended his ministrations, have 
gained him the confidence of the entire com- 
munity. 

Dr. and Mrs. Jacobs are faithful members of 
the M.E. Church and the Doctor is also great- 
ly interested in the educational affairs of his 
adopted home. 



§AMES KINNEAR, one of the oldest 
and most respected citizens of Tidi- 
oute, Warren County, whose portrait 
is shown on the opposite page, has led a long 
and busy life in that vicinity, and is now spend- 
ing his declining years in peace. Although 
nearly eighty-five years have passed since he 
first saw the light of day, he still boasts of a 
tine constitution, and can do more manual 



labor in a day than many a young man. He 
was born in Huntingdon County, Pa., Janu- 
ary 22. 1 8 14, at a place then known as Hoag 
\^a!lcy, but which was later called Center Val- 
ley. When grown to manhood, he learned 
the useful trade of a millwright, and accom- 
panying his father to Tidioute, he assisted in 
building nearly every mill in that vicinity dur- 
ing his younger days. Mr. Kinnear was an 
exi)ert workman at his calling, and was known 
to be the best hand to dress mill-stones for 
miles around; hence his services were much 
in demand. He i)uilt the first steam mill in 
that locality, and in 1853 he also built a grist 
mill on Tidioute Creek, — selling both a little 
later to a Mr. Le Beau of New York, together 
with other property. When the oil industry 
was in its infancy Mr. Kinnear discontinued 
working at his trade, and began to deal in real 
estate, buying land and selling to parties in 
New York and other large cities, who desired 
to invest money in operating oil wells upon 
such land. After continuing to deal in land 
for a few years, Mr. Kinnear reaped such a 
handsome competency tliat he was enabled to 
retire from active Inisiness life a long time ago. 
He is a son of William Kinnear, and grand- 
son of Alexander Kinnear, who came to 
America in 1790, and settled in the eastern 
part of Pennsybania. His wife's maiden name 
was Jane (Iranley. 

William Kinnear was of Scotch-Irish stock, 
descending from the Huguenots. He was 
born I\Iay 30, 1783. in the northern part of 
Ireland and accompanied his parents to Am- 
erica when only seven years old. In 18 19, he 
purchased from the Indian chief, Cornplanter, 



336 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



of the Seneca tribe, a tract of land in the wil- 
derness, — some 200 acres, — and cleared it. 
Oil City, Venango County, is now situated 
on that farm. After selling his farm he re- 
moved to the present site of Tidioute, in 1826, 
where he purchased 200 acres fjf land extend- 
ing from Grandin Brother's Bank, northward, 
it being at that time all heavy forest land. Mr. 
Kinncar built a log house near the place now 
occu])ie(l by Mr. Cuming's barn. .\mong 
those who settled in that vicinity of Tidioute 
.about the same time as Mr. Kinnear, and, 
perhaps, a little later, were Samuel Parshall, 
who became the first postmaster; Thomas 
.\rters; Samuei McGuire and Anthony Cour- 
son. William Kinnear died December 23, 
1851. 

James Kinnear's father busied himself by 
clearing and cultivating his land, and on the 
banks of Tidioute Creek built the first saw 
mill in that locality. For nearly twenty years 
he was busil_\- engaged in farming and lumber- 
ing. That locality was then a comparative 
wilderness, but the settlers and pioneers of 
that early d.iy had a degree of faith in the 
country that nothing could shake, and already 
saw with prophetic eyes the brightness of tlie 
future. He was very well satisfied with his 
selection, and continued to live there imtil his 
death, which took place in 1S58. lie was 
joined in matrimony with Rebecca Mcllvaine, 
who was born November 27, 1784, and died 
February 25, 1853, five years before the death 
of her husl)and. This union resulted in the 
l)irth of eight children, five sons and three 
daughters, as follows: Mary Ann, born in 
1807; Alexander, born in iSio; Willi;uu. born 



in 1812: James, born in 1814: Rebecca, born 
in 1816; Jcjhn, born in 1818; (jauley, born in 
1821, and Elizabeth, born in 1823. 

Jeannette Parshall, an agreeable and affa- 
l)le daughter of Samuel Parshall, one of the 
earlv settlers in the \icinity of Tidioute. l)e- 
came the wife of James Kinnear. Jeannette 
was born near Oil City, on the .\llegheny 
River, February 22, 1822. Although seventy- 
six years of age she is still a \er\' active 
woman, and does not look a dav older than 
sixty-five. For many years this aged couple 
have traveled side by side through sorrows 
and vicissitudes, into joy and sunlight once 
more, and their many friends and relatives 
hope they may yet enjoy many years of peace- 
ful life. Seven children were born to them, 
four of whom are now sleeping in the church- 
\ard. The eldest one, Charlotte, became the 
wife of Da\id Thompson, a prosperous gro- 
cery merchant of Tidioute, and has borne him 
one son, James G., and two daughters, Grace 
and Edith. The second child, Josephine, mar 
ried M. P. Getchel of Colorado. The third 
and fourth children were twin daughters, both 
deceased. The fifth one, Marion, is also de- 
ceased, as is the sixth one, ^\'illiam P. The 
se\enth child. James Wesley, graduated at 
Meadville Academy, studied law, and was ad 
mitted to the bar of the Supreme Court in 
1884. He is now a prominent attorney of 
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He married Edith 
Rich, of Oil City, and their home is blessed 
with the following children: Raymond; Jay; 
Jeannette; Esther, and James. Raymond and 
James died in infancy. 

Air. Kimiear was formerly a Whig, but is 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



now a Republican. He served as a captain of 
the state militia. He is a ^ood and faithful 
member of the ^I. E. Church, having served 
as trustee of that church, and as class leader 
for a period of twenty-two years. He has been 
not only a shrewd and energetic business man, 
but has done much to improve and build up 
the town. He was one of the founders of the 
Tidioute Savings Bank. His helpmeet and 
companion has contributed largely to her hus- 
band's success, and in her he has found his 
best and truest friend. 



AVID S. THOMPSON, Mr. Kin- 
near's son-in-law, is a man of much 
prominence in Tidioute, hence a 
sketch of his life is deemed appropriate 
in connection with this life review of James 
Kinnear. Mr. Thompson is one of Tidi- 
oute's early business men, and was born 
in Pine Grove township, Warren County, Pa. 
His education was finished at the academy in 
Randolph, New York, after which he followed 
the profession of teaching for a period of nine 
years, commencing at $14 per month, and 
"boarding around." Later he spent some 
time in the West, but subsequently turned his 
attention to Tidioute, during the oil excite- 
ment in 1864, and became a successful oil pro- 
ducer at that place, — being associated with 
several of its leading business men. Having 
met with such a marked degree of success, he 
decided to invest his money in real estate, and 
built several business houses, three residences, 
and finally, a store, for his own use. In this 
he is still to be found engaged in the mercan- 



tile business, and handling a large, fresh stock 
of choice groceries, notions, etc. He has done 
business at the same place for the past twenty- 
two vears. He owns a building on either side 
of his store, and has a fine large residence fit- 
ted out with every modern convenience. 

Da\is S. Thompson is a son of Van Rensse- 
laer R. and Laura (Bergart) Thompson. His 
father was born in Cayuga County, New York, 
and mo\ed to Warren County, Pennsylvania, 
w here he purchased a tract of new land. He 
cleared his land, built a house, suitable barns, 
sheds and out-buildings, set out two orchards 
of fine, choice fruit, selected with the greatest 
care, and otherwise improved his place. The 
same farm is now owned by D. S. Randall and 
is located near Russell. Pa. 

\'an Rensselaer Thompson was also en- 
gaged in lumbering to a considerable ex- 
tent, rafting his logs down the -river 
to market. He chose for his wife Laura 
Bergart, who l)ore her husband eight 
children, and then laid down the burden 
of life at the age of forty-six years, 
while her husband enjoyed life to the advanced 
age of seventy-eight years. He served as 
county commissioner for many years, and was 
a member and past grand of the I. O. O. F. 
lodge, liy which order he was laid to rest. 
The names of his children are: Sophronia, 
Jasper. Mercy, Lucinda, Clarissa, Van Rensse- 
laer, Da\ id S. and Caleb C. David S. mar- 
ried Charlotte Kinnear, and, as before men- 
tioned, their home was blessed with three chil- 
dren: James G., their first born, who died in 
infancy: Grace, the eldest daughter, who was 
called to her home al)Ove at the age of thir- 



338 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



teen years; and Editli. the only survi\ing' 
child, who is diligently engaged in securing an 
education, — being quite a student. David S. 
Thompson has served as school director, and 
as a member of the council. I'dr twentx-eight 
_\cars he has been a incnilicr of the 1. ( ). ( ). I'", 
lodge, being a past grand and 1'. R. P. of the 
encampment. 




AMU EL 1-. ROilRER was one of 
I the pioneer settlers and the foremost 
citizens of ^Nlaritnville, Forest County. 
Pa. He \\as a son of John and ^Fagdalena 
(Herr) Rohrer, and was born in Lancaster 
County. Pa., October 15. 1817. His parents 
were natives of that countv, but were of Ger- 
man descent. The grandfather of Samuel F. 
was the first to emigrate from his native home, 
Baden-Baden, Germany, and settle in this 
country. The family will be recalled by early 
settlers in this state as one of the progressive 
and prominent families of Lancaster, and 
later, Forest County. 

John Rohrer, the father of the subject of 
this biography, was a prominent and indus- 
trious farmer. He was unusually successful, 
and at one time owned several valuable farms. 
In politics he was a Democrat, but was lib- 
eral in his political views, and a stanch sup- 
porter of all public measures which were for 
the best interest and the advancement of the 
communities in which he resided. For many 
years he was clerk of the ()ri)hans' Court of 
Lancaster County, which office he held when 
he died, in 1838. Mrs. Rohrer died when the 
subject of this review, Sanniel V. Rohrer, was 



eighteen years old, and Mr. Rohrer passed to 
his final rest about three years later. The 
couple had a family of twelve children. Re- 
ligiously thev were Mennonites. The father 
of the subject hereof was a whole-souled, noble 
man. who was greallv beloved bv all who 
knew him. 

Dur subject. Samuel V. Rohrer. was edu- 
cated in the Lancaster High School, and the 
Lancaster .\cademy at Strasburg, Pa. He 
then took u]) civil engineering and surv eying. 
He assisted in surveving the line for the Cum- 
berland \'allev Railroad. Subsequentiv he 
served as a clerk under his father in the Or- 
phans' Court for several years. After the 
death of his father. Samuel F. was a clerk in a 
dry goods store owned by his brotb.er. Reu- 
ben. Samuel, however, did not like mercan- 
tile pursuits, and he removed to Berks 
County, Pa., w here he taught school for some 
time. Subsequently he taught at Black's Fur- 
nace, Pa., and in Clarion County. Between 
1855 and 1859 he removed to Marienville, 
Forest County, and was county commis- 
sioner's clerk for a short time. He soon re- 
suined teaching and followed that occupation 
in ^larienville for twenty-one years. He ac- 
c|uired an envialilc reputation as one of the 
most progressive and successful educators of 
Western Pennsylvania. He also followed sur- 
veying as well as teaching, and particularly 
during the summer vacations his services as a 
civil engineer and surveyor were greatly in de- 
mand in Forest, aiul other counties. Mr. 
Rohrer passed nearly all his days in Marien- 
ville in the residence which is now occupied 
bv his widow, Mrs. Clarine L. Rohrer. Po- 




JOHN W . WIl.KINS. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



341 



litically he was an ardent Democrat. He 
served for nine years as county superinten- 
dent of schools. He was most liberal in his 
religious views — a truthful, an hone.st, aiul up- 
right Christian man; he nc\er did any one an 
injur}', and constantly, and with characteris- 
tic modesty, sought opportunities for doing 
good. 

On October 12, 1871, our suljject was 
united in marriage to Clarine Leeds Blood, a 
daughter of Cyrus Blood, the pioneer of For- 
est County, a rcxiew of whose life will be 
found elsewhere in this Book of Biographies. 
in the sketch of Dr. Towler. One child re- 
sulted from the union — Mary, born December 
23, 1 87 1. Miss Mary was for some time a 
teacher in the Marienville schools. She also 
took a course at Bucknell University, Lewis- 
burg, Pa. 

Samuel F. Rohrer entered into his final rest 
on January 19, 1888. 



(^ OHX W. WILKIXS, wiiose portrait 
is presented on the preceding page, en- 
joys the distinction of being a man who 
has turned many trades to his own personal 
interest and profit, and deserves a prominent 
place among the successful craftsmen of Wat- 
son township, Warren County, Penn.sylvania, 
where he is now largely interestcil in farming 
and oil producing. He was l)orn at Titusville, 
Pa., December 26, 1844, '^ -i ■'^"" "f Jtiseph P. 
Wilkins, and a nephew of Congressman Wat- 
son. His early education did not extend be- 
yond that which is acquired in the district 
school. He is, however, observing and 



thoughtful, and possesses a well-balanced 
mind, which has been trained by careful read- 
ing. He weighs his actions well I)efore mak- 
ing a business venture, and to this wise course 
his financial success is largely due. 

Bra\c and courageous, full of adventure, 
loyal to his countrv and his country's flag, 
Mr. Wilkins was among the first to answer the 
call to arms to defend the union of the states, 
when secession was rife, and the ominous 
cloud of rebellion hung over our land. At the 
age of se\enteen years he enlisted in the 57th 
Reg., Pa. \'ol.. and at the ex])iration of his 
term, re-enlisted as a \eteran volunteer. He 
was a valiant soldier and saw hard fighting in 
many of those desperate struggles from 1861 
to 1865, which mark an epoch in the history 
of this country, than which there is none more 
memorable since the days of the Revolution.- 
With true soldierly spirit he wore the uniform 
of blue until mustered out of service, July 7, 
1865, with the rank of sergeant. He was with 
his regiment and took an acti\e jiart in the fol- 
lowing hard fought battles: Fredericksburg, 
Chancellorsvillc, Harper's Ferry, The Wilder- 
ness, Petersburg, Appomattox Court House; 
he was also engaged in numerous skirmishes. 

At the close of the war. our subject returned 
to the oil fields of l-'ennsylvania, where he 
worked as a tool dresser and engineer; he 
later learned the plasterer's trade, which he 
followed in conjunction with his other trades. 
In 1867 he removed to Watson township, and 
purchased 130 acres of timber land, on which 
he built a fine house and spacious barns, — 
using his own ])lans and specifications for 
their construction. His house is regarded as 



342 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



one of the Iiandsomest dwellings in that town- 
ship. At a later period he bought 46 acres of 
timber land, which he added to his jircniises, 
and now has a very lino farm, wliich he has 
l)rought into a high state of cultivation. Lum- 
bering has always been a profitable business 
in this section of Pennsylvania, and has been 
successfully pursued by mau_\- of this state's 
ablest and best men. Mr. W'ilkins also be- 
came interested in that enterprise, which 
]iro\ed to be a very renuuierative employ- 
ment. He cleared the heavy timber from his 
land, converted it into lumber from which he 
realized a handsome profit, besides lea\'ing his 
land to be turned into fertile, i)roducing fields, 
so that in mure ways than one did he profit in 
this undertaking; he was also largely inter- 
ested in oil lands in Cherry Grove township, 
operating twenty good, producing wells. 

Joseph P. Wilkins, father of John W., was 
born in Erie County, Pennsylvania, and re- 
ceived his primary education in the district 
schools of his native county, but educational 
advantages at tliat earl}' date were very mea- 
ger, and as a natural result, his education was 
limited. In the choice of trades he favored the 
blacksmith's as his ideal occupation. This he 
learned, then moved to Crawford County, and 
started in business for himself, doing general 
blacksmithing under the lirm name of Jos. P. 
Wilkins. Having established himself in bus- 
iness, he now disco\ered that he needed a 
home to which he could return after his day's 
toil and be welcomed with the smile and em- 
brace of a loving wife. He wooed and won 
for his bride, Margaret Watson, a native of 
Crawford Countv. Thev reared a fan'.ilv of 



six children, viz: Mary J. (Curry); Cordelia, 
deceased; Margaret (Niles); Thomas; John 
\\'., our subject, and .MoiUgomer\-. 

John W. Wilkins' wife is an estimable lady, 
formerly .Miss .\ellie \redenburg, daughter oi 
SanuK'l and Rhoda (I'.oyle) \'redcid)urg. She 
was born ueai' the borough of Warren. War- 
ren County. I'a.. and was instructed in the 
schools of Warren. Her father, Sanna-l \'re- 
denburg, was a native of Clinton C(.huU\-, 
^Michigan; her mother was born in Merci-r 
County, Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins 
are the parents of one child, ^Margaret 1^.. who 
was born at Heart's Content, in 1875, and re- 
ceived her primary instruction in the district 
schools, then took a preparatory course at 
Akron, Ohio, and later, a collegiate course at 
Buchtel College. She is a brilliant scholar, 
and graduated with honors with the class of 
1898, receiving the degree of Ph. B. Miss 
W'ilkins contemplates a professional career; 
she is a member of the college fraternity of 
Delta Gamma, and is a fascinating tyjjc of 
America's best womanhood. 

Politically, Mr. W'ilkins is a Republican, 
and entertains decided opinions on local, state 
and national issues; these opinions are reached 
with that same deliberation with which he 
weighs all business transactions. When once 
settled they are not easily changed, as he has 
the courage to maintain his stand when he be- 
lieves he is right. He has ser\'ed his party as 
road commissioner ancl school director; he is 
a member of the M. I'-. Church, and affiliates 
with the .\. O. U. W.. ami the Union \'eterau 
Lea:ion. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



343 




II.I.IS A. MITCHELL. Among 
the names of those whose mem- 
ories are fondly clierished by all, 
is that of Willis A. .Mitchell. He was a 
spleiKlid tyi)e of a manly man and impressed 
his strolls^' indi\idnality npon e\er\- one with 
whom he came in contact. A man of sympa- 
thetic heart and philanthropic inclinations, 
generons to a fault, his acts of charity were 
known only to those who were closely con- 
nected with him in business, or by his most in- 
timate friends. 

He was prominent in politics, but his mis- 
sion seemed to be to aid his friends in their 
political ambitions, while he chose the part of 
a patriotic, private American. While he could 
have filled places of honor and trust with di,s- 
tinction, he never aspired to office, and except- 
ing the short period that he was postmaster 
under the Harrison administration, he never 
lield a public position. He was a mem1)er of 
the Masonic order. 

Mr. Mitchell was born at Falling Springs, 
Venango County, Pa., April 19, 1853. His 
successful career ended in the i)rime of his 
manhood. February 15, 1897. He was the son 
of John H. and Catherine (Frantz) Mitchell. 
His mother dying while he was but an infant, 
he was taken into the home of his grandmoth- 
er Mitchell, under whose circ and guidance 
the greater part of his childhood was spent. 
After the second marriage of his father, the 
family moved to Warren, Pa., where Willis' 
education was obtained in the jntblic school. 
He also attended the Jamestown Academy for 
a time. 



His life (if business activitv began at an 
early age w hen he l)ecame interested in the oil 
fields of X'enango and adjacent counties. Dur- 
ing this period he had some thrilling experi- 
ences. At one time he was severely burned in 
an oil fire. The attendingsurgeons insisted that 
one arm be amputated, but Mr. Mitchell stren 
uously resisted, refused to permit the opera- 
tion, and had the satisfaction of having his 
good right arm fully restored to usefulness. 
When about twent}--one, his fondness for tra- 
vel and adventure induced him to go to Texas. 
The engineer of a go\-ernment saw mill, lo- 
cated at Texarkana dying suddenlw some one 
was needed to take his place at once. Mr. 
Mitchell's experience in the oil fields enabled 
hi:n to fill the \acancy, until he became a vic- 
tim to the chills and fe\er so ])re\'alent in that 
climate, when he was obliged to come east. 
Returning to \\'arren, he joined his father in 
the fire insurance business, founded in 1871, 
under the name of J. H. Mitchell & Company. 
In 1876, his father removed to Philadelphia. 
\\'illis assuming entire control. Se\'eral 
changes in the firm mark the \ears of hard 
work which he spent in building up the busi- 
ness which, at the time of his death, was re- 
garded as the most successful tire insurance 
business in Pennsyhania. 

Mr. Mitchell was considered one of the 
ablest insurance men in the state, and, indeed, 
was well known throughout the insurance 
world. 

On February 8, 1876, Mr. Mitchell was mar- 
ried to Sara Oliphant Gemmill. eldest daugh- 
ter of Zachariah (iemmill, who survives him. 
Mrs. Mitchell was born at Cresson Springs, 



344 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



l\n., No\-ember t6, 1858. She was educated 
ill the Warren puhhc schools, o{ wliicli town 
her parents were residents for many \ears. 
Tliree cliildren were l)orn to Mr. and Mrs. 
Mitchell, as follows: Willis (iennnill. horn 
September 30, 1877; John, born September 9, 
1880, and died October 19, 1887; and Harry 
Luzerne, born January 11, 1883, who is a stu- 
dent at the Warren High School. Tn 189'') 
the eldest son, Willis (iemmill Mitchell, was 
appointed a cadet in the U. S. Naval .\cademy 
at Annapolis, Md., from the Twenty-seventh 
Congressional Uistrict, on a coni])etiti\e ex- 
amination. When war was declared against 
Spain, young Mitchell went to Washington 
and urged that he be allowed to engage in 
active service against the enemy, and his re- 
quest was granted. He was assigned to the 
U. S. S. San Francisco, and was subseciuent- 
ly transferred to the Maple, which vessels 
t were engaged in blockade duty along the 
Cuban coast. Mr. Mitchell will graduate in 
the class of 1900, of which he is president. 
Those who know the young man predict for 
him a brilli;uit and successful career. 




ILLIAM P. NUTTING, an influen- 
tial citizen and successful banker of 
\'oungs\ille. Pa., has for many years 
been interested, also, in the production of oil 
in Warren and other counties, has served 
tliree years as treasurer of Warren Countx', as 
school director, as councilman of the borough 
of Youngsvilie, and was the first burgess of 
North Clarendon. 

Mr. Nutting is also a 3-'nd degree Mason, 



which is something to be ])roud of. being a 
memb(.'r of the blue lodge of Warren, I'a., 
the Perfection Lodge of l-'rie, J'a.. and of the 
Ancient and Accepted Order of Scottish Rites, 
of Pittsburg, Pa. William P. Nutting was 
born in the cultured city of Boston, Mass., 
June 6, 1854. He is a son of William S. and 
Afary F. (Locke) Nutting. His father was 
also a native of Boston, and is still living, 
being a soapstone and marble cutter by trade. 
His mother was a descendant of the famous 
Locke family of Fngland, a name thru is lum- 
inous in the history of that country. 

William P. was the only child of his parents, 
an<l received his education in the public 
schools of his native city, going to school until 
he attained the age of thirteen years. About 
1864 he went west as far as Corry, Pa., and in 
1873 lis moved to \\'arren County, Pa., and 
entered the employment of Mr. Z. Mickle, a 
lumberman of that county. He was subse- 
(|uently employed in a similar capacity Ijy 
Henry Brace, of Youngsxille, Pa., locating a 
little later in Bradford, McKean County. In 
the autumn of 1880 he accepted a position as 
superintendent of field operations for the An- 
chor Oil Company at North Clarendon, hav- 
ing charge of all their oil wells in that section. 
He gave such splendid satisfaction to his em- 
plo_\-ers that he was retained by them for a 
period of seven years, resigning in 1887. He 
them embarked in tlie oil business with others, 
under the firm n.'une of W. 1^. Xutting & Co., 
with heatkiuarters at Stoneham, Pa. Mr. Nut- 
ting's ]irevious business experience in the oil 
fields especially fitted him for the position he 
occupied, as the business of the company was 




D.WII) M. MARTIN. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



347 



all intrusted to him, and for two years there- 
after he personally superintended all their lield 
operations. Mr. Nutting is a Republican and 
likes to discuss yolitics when he has time to 
talk, but as he is a "hustler," he loses no time 
on that score from his business. However, in 
1889, he was elected treasurer of Warren 
County, serving for three years, and filling 
that office in a most capable manner. He still 
retains his oil interest in the firm of \\\ P. 
Nutting & Co., Iiesides being concerned in ex- 
tensive oil operations at Pleasantville, \'enan- 
go County, Pa., where he is connected with 
the operations of H. AI. Preston & Co. 

The present bank in Voungsville was estal)- 
lished by Mr. Nutting in 1893. and has since 
been conducted bv him with remarkable suc- 
cess. Everything within and surrounding his 
j)lace of business is neat and attractive, as he 
is a friend of good order and system, and his 
straightforward business methods find favor in 
the eyes of his patrons. 

In March, 1877, Mr. Nuttifig was married 
to Miss .\lmira Philips, an entertaining daugh- 
ter of J. B. Philips, of N'oungsville, Pa. Al- 
tiiough their happy union was not blessed with 
any children, they^ave an ado])ted daughter. 
Alma Philips Nutting, whom they love and 
cherish as their own. Coth Mr. and Mrs. Nut- 
ting are highly esteemed in their neiglil)i>r- 
hood and township, and are justlv eniitled to 
be classed among the best citizens. Tlie\- con- 
tribute their portion towards the building up 
of the community, morally, socially and intel- 
lectually, and i^ossess many excellent traits of 
character. Mr. Nutting has always taken a 
deep interest in educational work, being also 



an advocate of public improvements, and a 
firm l)eliever in the continued growth and 
])rosperity of ^'oungsville. 



.WJJ) M. MARTIN, a retired citizen 
of much prominence of Russell, Pine 
Grove township, Warren County, Pa., 
whose portrait appears on the preceding page, 
has not only been a prominent lumljerman of 
that district, but also enjoys the reputation of 
Ijeing a most expert pilot, besides possessing 
rare literary talent. 

Mr. Martin was born in the same township 
where he now resides, January 15, 182 1. After 
attending the schools in his immediate neigh- 
borhood he took a finishing course at Warren 
Academy, after which he engaged in teaching 
for several winters. But as his principal busi- 
ness was lumbering, he soon discontinued 
teaching and followed that exclusively. .\t the 
age of fourteen years he made his tirst trip 
down the river on a raft, and followed that for 
many years, becoming one of the most expert 
pilots of his (lay. To this day he can describe 
with accuracy the river from Russell to Louis- 
ville, Ky. During his life as ])ilot his judg- 
ment was sought b_\- many and his services 
were almost constantlv in demand, liming 
more offers than he could ])ossibly lill. lie 
usualh' made from one to three trips a \"ear. 
These trips were attended with gra\e dangers, 
and the ri\er in many ])laces was crooked and 
swift. Like many other jjilots, he feared that 
each trip would be his last, but he still con- 
tinued at that business until he iiurchased an 
inleresl, with Thom;is Sloan, in the nulls at 



348 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Russell. After operating the mills in partner- 
ship for some time the mills Ijurned to the 
groini<l and were not rebuilt. Besides oper- 
ating the mills at Uussell and carrying on an 
e.xtensive lunihcr Imsiness Mr. Martin has 
been acti\cl}' engaged in other cnter])riscs. 
During the publication of the \\ arrcn C'ounty 
History of 18S7 he compiled a \'ery liandsome 
and complete historical and biographical 
sketch of Pine Grove township, which was 
considered one of the best and most complete 
sketches of the county. Nor is that all; for 
the past fifteen years Mr. Martin has figured 
as a retired citizen, and during that time he 
has displayed rare literary talent by writing a 
great many articles concerning tlie early li\es 
of the ])ioneers an{l lumbermen of this section 
of the state. These articles appeared from 
time to time in the local papers and were very 
interesting, entertaining and instructive. 

David M, Martin is a son of Thomas and 
Mary (Portman) Martin and a grandson of 
John and Polly (Mumford) Martin. John 
Martin was born in Kent County, Delaware, 
w here his marriage occurred. He subsequent- 
ly settled in \'enango County, Pa., among the 
pioneers. He |)urchased and cleared the farm 
which is today known as the Hidrich farm. 
His death occurred there at a good old age. 
His children were: l)avid; John; Solomon; 
Thomas, father of our subject: and two 
daughters who died in early childhood. 

Thomas Martin was born in the state of 
Delaware in 1786. When grown to manhood 
he went to Venango County, Pa., where he 
engaged in farming, remoxing in 1813 to Rus- 
sell, Pine CJro\e township, Warren County, 



Pa. After that his principal occupation was 
lumbering, and, in company with Jarrett 
Woodsworth, he owned and ojierated the 
mills at Russell, rafting tiie timber down the 
.\lleglieny River to various markets. His 
death occurred I'ebruary 15, 1869, at the ad- 
\anced age of eighty-three years. At that date 
he was one of the oldest settlers of Warren 
County, Pa. He was not only an enterprising 
and successful business man but was also a 
valuable ]:)ublic servant, filling various posi- 
tions of trust. He was sheriff for three years, 
and county commissioner for the same length 
of time, during which jjeriod he received uni- 
versal connnendation for iiis faithful discharge 
of public duties. Being a man of more than 
ordinarv intelligence, his counsel was fre- 
quently sought and often accepted. He 
sought for his life partner Mary Portman, a 
daughter of John Portman. His wife died in 
July, 1868, at the age of sixty-five years. Their 
children were: Catherine, who remained sin- 
gle; David M., subject of this sketch; Mary, 
wife of David Boyd; Sarah, wife of Ezeriab 
Howard; Phoebe, wife of John .\rnold; and 
Eliza, wife of Benjamin Marsh. 

David M. Martin was united in marriage 
with Mary Sloan, a daughter of Thomas 
Sloan, who was one of the earliest settlers and 
prominent men of Russell. No children were 
born to this most happy union, but they 
a(loi)ted, reared and educated Ella Baker, who 
became the wife of M. Adelbert Elderkin. — 
they reside in Faulkner, N. Y., and have one 
child, Oleta. Mr. Martin has never aspired to 
oftice, although he served as revenue connnis- 
sioner in i860. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



349 




lORRELL F. PRATT, for several 
years a retired lumber nianufaclurer 
of W'arren, I'a., was horn at 
Waterford, Pa., October 14, iS,V). lie was 
educated in the city of his l)irth, i)ursuint;- his 
studies until he attained the ai^e of twenty 
years. The followiui;' year was spent in work 
upon his father's farm. Upon reaching his 
majority, he went west as far as Illinois, rent- 
ed a farm and stayed there about two years, 
working on the farm in summer and in a print- 
ing office during the winter. IJut he ilid not 
like Illinois as well as the East, and accord- 
ingly returned to the Iiast. locating in L'nion 
(."it\', i'a., where he began the manufacture of 
lumber. He met with much success, and con- 
tinued at that occui)ation until i89(>, at that 
time retiring from actiye business pursuits. 

He is a son of Timoth}' Pratt and grandson 
of Timothy, Sr., Timothy being a favorite 
name in the family for many generations. 
Timothy Pratt, Sr., was born in Massachu- 
setts, and was kiilna]ied at the age of seven 
years, and carried to sea by a P>ritisli vessel, on 
board of which he was kept for seven years. 
This constant life on the water for so many 
years had initiated him into seafaring, for 
which he had acquired a taste, so that he con- 
tinued the career of a sailor, remaining on the 
ocean until he was thirty-fne years of age, and 
had reached the jiosition of mate. Piut he 
finally gave up .sailing, and located in \'er- 
mont. There he followed agricultural pursuits 
for a number of years. He then removed !;> 
Waterford. Erie County. I'a.. where he again 
engaged in farming, continuing in that occu- 
pation until he reached the age of seventy 



years. He lived to the advanced age of eighty- 
nine years. 

Timoth v. Jr., was also born in Massachu- 
setts, where he attended the public schools. 
.\fter recei\ing the rudiments of an education, 
he learned the trades of a cari)enter and build- 
er and of a millwright, and did busniess in 
both of them, also farming a ])ortion of the 
time. In this triangular enter])rise he was 
quite successful until his sixtieth year, after 
w liicli he devoted himself solely to farming for 
the next fifteen years. He then retired to the 
home of our subject in Union City, where his 
death occurred fourteen years later. He. like 
his f.ather. died at the age of eighty-nine years. 
He sought for his life companion Mary D. 
Kendall, a d.aughter of Morrell Kendall of 
\'erniont. Their union was blessed with these 
children: Rnfns; Horace Ci. ; Lucretia, wife 
of James Ormsbee: Elvira, wife of I^. G. 
(_)Iney: Eniilw wife of I'rank Carroll: Mor- 
rell E.. subject of this sketch: Harrison T.: 
Alzina: John (J. 

The father of Morrell V. followed many and 
\-aried occupations during his life. He was a 
member of the Christian Church and preached 
at one time in that denomination. He had 
also a self-acf|uired knowledge of medicine, 
and made regular tri])s about the countr\-. .ac- 
quiring a considerable practice, lie was a 
very keen sportsman, and in early times, when 
the country .abounded in deer and bear, he 
enjoyed nuich good hunting. Aside from 
these labors .and recreations, he was a public 
servant, serving as school director, as county 
commissioner for some years, and as justice of 
the peace for several terms. 



350 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Morrell F. Pratt was united in marriage 
with Frances Graff, a daughter of Cliristopher 
Graff, of Waterford, Erie County, Pennsyl- 
\ania. Their \ve(hHng occurred on tlie third 
(lav of June, iS6o, and tliey reared ten cliil- 
dren, as follows: Mertie, wife of James Chris- 
tie: Al.'unie. wife of 11. R. DeLong: Glenni 
A.; \\'innie, wife of Elmer Kerr; Irma, wife of 
S. B. i'.ush; Sidney: Maud, wife of William 
Barnett: Clifford; Morrell Rex; and Max. 

Mr. Pratt and his family are regular attend- 
ants at the Methodist Church. In his politi- 
cal opinions, he indorses the platform of the 
Republican party. He is a valued member of 
the I. ( ). O. E., and has been for thirt\- vears. 



fW. NEWMAKhLR, a ixuent factor in 
the business circles of \\ arren, 
Mead township, Warren County, 
Pa., was born in Mercer Countv, Pa., March 
24, 1845, and attended school at that ])lace. 
Early in life he learned the trade of a carpen- 
ter, and being natm\ally handy with tools, soon 
became a very ])roficient workman. .After 
winking successfully at his chosen f)ccu]iation 
for a few years, he learned of the disco\ery of 
oil in \'enango County, and i-emo\ed to ( )il 
City, being one of the lirst operators in the 
field. I lis lirst investment ]iro\'ed so ])rofita- 
l>le, that he interested himself more extensixe- 
ly and soon became the owner of a large num- 
ber of wells at Foxburg, Clarion County, to 
which place he moved. After continuing in 
that occupation until iS8_', his health began to 
fail, and he purchased a farm in Mercer Coun- 



tv, after selling his oil interests. But mer- 
cantile life lured him away from his farm, and 
in 1885 he disposed of his farming interests 
and was engaged in lumbering in W'arren 
County, until July 1, iS(;_>. .\t that date he 
])urchased the manufacttu-ing lumber i)lant 
then owned and operated by James Clark. 

Mr. Newmaker accepted W. S. Reed as a 
business ])artner. The ])lant turns out princi- 
l)ally sash, doors and general planing mill 
work, special desks, mantels, extension tal)les, 
hardwood floors, etc. The compan\- enjoys a 
large wholesale and retail trade; in connec- 
tion with the plant the company owns a very 
fine lumber yard, where large shipments from 
the Allegheny and Conewango rivers and 
their tributaries are received. They have a 
boom for securing logs, with a capacity of 
2.000,000 feet. The planing mill, saw mill and 
general wcjoilworking mill belonging to the 
plant, are among the finest in the country, 
and are operated by both water and steam 
])ower. The entire [ilant is a credit to the 
company and also to the comnumity. 

Henry Xewmaker, grandfather of our sub- 
ject, was born in Westmoreland County early 
in the eighteenth century. In the family rec- 
ords there is conclusive e\idence that "Wana- 
maker" and "Newmaker" stock are the same. 
llenr\- Xewmaker followed the independent 
and peaceful occui)ation of a farmer, and at 
the time of his death owned considerable real 
estate in Armstrong Countv. 

Daniel Xewmaker. father of our subject, 
was also born in Westmoreland County, 
March 18, 1818, where he received what was 
considered a \erv liberal education for those 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



351 



days. His decease took place September 23, 
1865. at the age of forty-seven years. He 
married Eliza Thompson, November 10, 1840, 
and turned his attention to the work of a car- 
penter and joiner, rolitically, he \\;is a Dem- 
ocrat: he \vorshi])ed with ihc Melliodisls. lie 
and hi-^ amialilc wife were the parents of six 
childien: Jane, deceased in iSiSc). wife of R. 
S. Williams: William, deceased at the age of 
eighteen montlis: J. W.; H. T.: Kate, wife of 
C. Ha\-iser. and Frances, wife of J. J. Heath. 
The maternal ancestors of our subject can 
be traced back to 1575, and there is a tradi- 
tion that their earliest .\merican ancestor, 
John Thompson, came oxev in the Mayflower. 
However, it is known to be a fact that Al)el 
Thompson, great-grandfather of our subject, 
was born in New Jersey as far back as 1757, 
and that liis eldest son. also called Abel, the 
grantlfather of the subject hereof, was born 
April 14, 1785, and was married, first to Kate 
Boylan, January 20, 1809, and after her death, 
again, to Sarah Bonner, December 27, 1849. 



Eliza (Thompson) Newmakcr, J. W. New- 
maker's mother, born .April 24, 181 1, was a 
daughter of Abel Thompson by his first wife. 
She died April jH. 1878. 

j. W. Xcwmaker was united in marriage 
with ll.-Lunah k. Story, a native of Armstrong 
("oiinty, July i, i8')8. .Mrs. Newmakcr pa.s.sed 
to the life beyond, September 23, 1891, leav- 
ing four children, namely: Margaret, wife of 
S. K. heard: .Maud, wife of W. S. Reed; 
John W.. Jr., an<l Floy.l. In |8(>_' Mr. Xcw- 
maker formed a second matrimonial alliance, 
this time with IMrs. .Mice (Davis) Babbitt, a 
daughter of W. J. Davis. She was born Jan- 
uary 18, 1861, at Youngsville, Pennsylvania, 
f'y this union there was one child l)orn, who 
died aged fourteen months. 

Mr. New-maker is proud to l)e called a 
member of \'alley Lodge, No. 51, .\. C). U. 
W.. which he joined in February, 1875, '^^ 
Fo.xburg, Clarion County, Petmsylvania. He 
is also a member of .\llegheny Tent, No. 3, 
K. O. T. M., Warren, Peimsvlvania. 



WW' 




gg:<2^- 



352 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 




ARTIN Ll'TIIKU TIASSTNGER, 
an cxtcnsi\ c Imnlior dealer and mill 
man of Slu-I"ticld lounshii). I'a., is 
the most acti\'e man in the little town of 
Harnes, Warren Idnnty. I'a. lie was horn 
near Middlehnri;-. Pa., in lS4,v and attended 
the district schools of his native place. He 
received a good eilncation. and at the age of 
nineteen years began to learn the tanner's 
trade. Later he engaged in the tanning busi- 
ness on a small scale, locating at Centerville. 
Snyder County. I'a., but did not remain there 
any length of time. Selling out his business, 
he went to McKean Comity, Pa., where he 
found em])lo\'ment in the occu])ation of a saw- 
\er in the lumber camps, which he followed 
for some time. In i8Sj he went to Martins, 
Sheffield townshi]). Warren County. Pa., and 
acted in the capacit}' of a sawyer for T. Chase 
i*<; Co., remaining in their employ for two 
years: he then formed a co])artnership with 
J. A. Ewart, inu'chasing the Chase ]>lant and 
portable mill, and conducted the same busi- 
ness under the firm name of the Martin Lum- 
ber Company. In 1887 Mr. I'lwart sold his in- 
terest and the llassinger Lumlter Company 
conducted the business at that place until 
1889, when they leased the Ilarnes' mill i)rop- 
erty and water privileges, using the dam for 
logs. Since then Mr. Hassinger has rebuilt 
the mills, putting in engines of (« horse- 
power; he lias also purchased hea\-y timlier 
tracts into which he has run a switch from 
the yards of the Tionesta N'alley K. K. 
Througii this branch road he has access to his 
lumber logs, which are brought o\er to his 
mills and converted into building timbers and 



laths, and find a market, principally at Pitts- 
burg, ills ])lanl furnishes steady employ- 
ment to a considerable force, — generally frt)m 
forty to fifty men. Mr. Hassinger cnvns a 
large, handsome residence in Barnes. 

John Hassinger, great-grandfather of om^ 
subject, was born in .Montgomery County, 
Pa., near Philadelphia, where his history re- 
cords that Conrad Lhissinger (with his wife 
Elizabeth, who came from Baden, Germany), 
a baker by trade and later a farmer, settled in 
Montgomery County, Pa., among the \'ery 
early settlers. The names of their children 
were: John; Elizabeth; and Jeannette. Little 
information is given about Conrad's life, but 
his daughter, Elizabeth, married John Staf- 
ford, who became very prominent. Conrad's 
son, John, who is supposed to be the great- 
grandfather of IMartin L., settled, later, near 
Middleburg, Pa., where his remains lie buried. 
He belonged to the early pioneers, and fol- 
lowed the occupation of a farmer. His son. 
John, grandfather of Martin L., either inher- 
ited the old homestead or purchased it, and 
became one of the most prominent and pro- 
gressi\"e men of his da}'. He married a Miss 
Bobb; both were members of the Evangelical 
Lutheran Church, and both lie buried at Has- 
singer's Church, Pa.; they left the following- 
children: Henry; Conrad: John: Josejih: and 
Katherine, wlio married Eiias Stahlenecker. 

Henry Llassinger, father of our sul)ject. re- 
ceived a good education for his day. settled 
near Middlebm\g, Pa., where he followed the 
occupation of a farmer all his days, and, like 
his father, became a \ery successful and higlily 
respected man. He was instrumental, finan- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



353 



cially and otherwise, in the erection of the 

Imildin.in" now known as the Ilassingcr Cliurch. 
lie (Hed at the a_L;'e of sixty-tivc }'eai"s, wliile 
his wife h\ed to lie se\"cnty-fi\-e. 'idieir ehil- 
dren were: Katherine, wife of Simon Steiii- 
ingcr: Anna, wife of Samuel Sassaman; 
Racliael, wife of Amos Angel; Amelia, wife 
of Morris Erdley; ^\'illia^l, who married 
Amelia Arhogast; Jaeoh. who married Sar- 
ah J. Whitinger; Samuel, who married 
Katherine Breininger; Elizahetli, who never 
married; Harriet, wife of J. W. Walter; Martin 
Luther, subject of this sketch; and Louise, 
who died young. 

Martin Luther Hassinger was united in 
w etUock with Mary A. Schlabig, a daughter of 
Nathaniel K. and Susanna (Kantz) Schlabig. 
Nathaniel Schlai)ig was born in Schuylkill 
County, Pa., and was a son of Adam and Eliz- 
abeth (Kluck) Schlabig, who went there from 
Lehigh County, Pa. He was a shoemaker by 
trade, dying at the age of seventy-three, his 
wife being over sixty years old at her death. 
Their children were as follows: Elizabeth; 
Daniel; Nathaniel; Jacob; Benjamin; Judith; 
and Elias. 

Nathaniel w'as a carpenter by trade and fol- 
lowed that occupation all his active days. He 
is still living at Freeburg, Pa., at the age of 
seventy-nine years. His wife died in 1893, 
aged sixty-three years. Their children were 
as follows: William, who died wdien four years 
old; Sallie; Elizabeth; and Mary A., wife of 
the subject of this sketch. 

M. L. Hassinger and his esteemed w^ife are 
themselves the parents of the following chil- 
dren: Willi;im: Kate; John H.; Laura iMav 



and Luther Clarence. W^illiam is a successful 
lumberman at Ijarnes. lie married .\melia 
Daniels and has one son, h'rcd. Kale is the 
wife of Dr. J. E. Topcona, of Hoboken, New- 
Jersey, — three children bless their home: 
Grace; Johanna Helena, and I^ouis Clement. 
John H. is a graduate of the Law Department 
of Michigan University. Laura May is a 
school teacher of jjrominence. and a graduate 
of Lock Haven Normal School. Luther Clar- 
ence is a student of Susquehanna University, 
Selins Grove, Pa. The three sons are inter- 
ested in the lumber Inisiness with the Hassin- 
ger Lumber Compan_\-. 

Mr. Hassinger is an earnest Prohil)itionist; 
he has served as justice of the peace for eight 
years, and as road supervisor for a long period. 
He is a good, Christian man, being a member, 
and steward, of the M. E. Church, and stand- 
ing high in the communitv. 



§OHN S. CALDWELL, the genial and 
good-natured proprietor of the Diag- 
onal Hotel at Byromtown, Pa., located 
there in 1881, erecting at that time the first 
frame Iniilding in that town, and used it as a 
hotel, .\fter continuing that line of business 
for about si.x 3'ears, he ga\e up hotel-kee])ing 
for the next four years, during which jieriod 
he was successfully engaged in lumbering. 
Ijut hotel-life had a fascination for him, and he 
again embarked in the business on safe lines. 
His hotel is known far and near as one of the 
most pojjular houses in Jenks township, and 
it might be said, in the whole of Forest County. 
Tra\-eling men alwavs find Mr. Caldwell readv 



354 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



and anxious to do all in his power for their 
comfort and entertainment. His place is 
especially noted for its clean, comfortable 
beds, excellent meals, and table service. Both 
j)roi)rietor L'aldwell and his excellent lady 
possess the liapjiv facult_\ of anticii>atinj;- the 
wants (if ihfir nnmerous j^ucsts, and of pro- 
\idin,!.; the L;reatest ]iossible \ariel\ of season- 
able viaiuK to temi)t the ;ippelile. Mr. Cald- 
well is a Republican; he served as jjostmaster 
under Cleveland's first administration. He is 
a mcmljcr of W'm. Wray Post, G. A. R., No. 
(.01. of Marienville, and of the A. O. U. W., 
\alley Lodge, of Foxburg. 

Our subject was born in Clinton County, 
I'a., April 27, 1849, and is a son of Thomas J. 
and Hannah (Lee) Caldwell. Thoinas J. Cald- 
well was a native of Bellefonte, Pa., and re- 
ceived in his early youth a good conmion- 
school education. About the first work he 
ever did was on the river as a l^oatman, which, 
he followed for some time, but subsequently 
embarked in the saw mill business. A little 
later in life he engaged in farming, purchas- 
ing at first Init 50 acres of land. He was soon 
enabled to purchase a nuich larger tract of 
200 acres, which he paid for with the able as- 
sistance of his sons. His marriage with ?^Iiss 
Hannah Lee resulted in the birth of seven 
children, namely: \\'illiam G.. Green M., John 
S., the subject hereof; Sarah K.. Charles, Ida, 
and Grant. .All these children grew to ma- 
turity,-' and arc still living — useful and re- 
spected citizens, some of them basing attained 
considerable ])roniinence in business and so- 
cial circles. 

Tb.omas J. Caldwell was a stanch Peiiub- 



licati and held \arious offices of the township. 
His death, which occurred March 17, 1896, 
was a sad blow to his family, and to the com- 
munity at large, as he was a large-hearted, gen- 
erous and pul)lic-s])iritcd man, who did well 
his part to better the conmiunity in which he 
li\ed. jiihn S. C;ild\\cll received his school- 
ing in the comuKin public school, learning 
meantime man\- practical lessons while work- 
ing on his father's farm in Clinton. Thus the 
first fourteen years of his life were spent. On 
September 5, 1864, he was mustered into the 
U. S. service, going in w ith Company G, 203d 
Reg., Pa. Vol. Infantry. Young Caldwell was 
in the famous Army of the Potomac, and 
experienced many days of hard service; in the 
Seven Days' battle his regiment was held in 
reserve at Chapin's Farm. He served through- 
out Virginia, but, while under severe fire sev- 
eral times, was in no regular engagement. 

He took an active part in the first expedi- 
tion against Fort Fisher, and was on the water 
forty-one days. Readers of history will re- 
call the hardships our men were called upon 
to endure at that time. After the failure of 
the first expedition. General Terry took 
charge, and in nine days after breaking camp 
at Chapin's Farm the force landed at Fort 
Fisher, on the coast. 

After building breastworks, etc., for al)out 
tw o weeks, the fort was stormed and captured. 
Then followed days of waiting, and an occa- 
sional battle. To follow our subject through 
his campaign would be impossible, but it is 
needless to say that at all times he was found 
ready to do his duty, whatever it was. He 
was mustered out of service soon after the sur- 




JOHN R. TALLMAN. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



367 



render of Johnston, on July 3, 1865, and was 
paid at the city of Phiiadclpliia, Pa. 

He returned to CHnton County in very 
poor physical condition, but in the fall of the 
same year he engaged in lumbering, and soon 
reco\-ered his usual health. After jobbing for 
some time, he learned to like the l)usiness 
and continued it until 1881, when he began 
keeping a hotel, as previously mentioned. On 
August 18, 1878, Mr. Caldwell was united in, 
marriage with Mary E. Wilson, of Clarion 
County, Pa. To them have been born six 
children, viz.: Etta iM.; Forest E.; Harry J. 
B.; Clyde L. D.; Thomas Lee, and one more. 
who died in infancy. Mr. Caldwell is known 
to be an upright, honorable man. In his busi- 
ness ventures he has met with success, and his 
home bears evidence of comfort in all its sur- 
roundings. 



fOHN R. TALLMAN, a retired busi- 
ness man of Tidioute, whose portrait 
accompanies this sketch of his life, is 
not only possessed of a very comfortable for- 
tune but is a self-made man, having obtained 
his present competency by steady persever- 
ance, strict economy and prudent investments. 
He is now spending the decline of life, enjoy- 
ing the fruits of a well-spent life, respected and 
esteemed by all. Mr. Tallman was born on a 
farm in Northeast township, Erie County. Pa.. 
January 23, 1827, and is a son of Isaac Tall- 
man of English ancestry. 

Isaac Tallman was born in Cayuga, N. Y.. 
antl settletl first in Erie County, N. Y., remov- 
ing to \'enango County, Pa., in 1834, locating 



. fi\'e miles from Franklin, on French Creek, 
where he purchased a farm and engaged in ag- 
ricultural pursuits almost uninterruptedly the 
remainder of his life, being also interested for 
a short time in the firm of Raymond, Russell 
& Tallman, contractors and builders. He diesl 
at the age of sixty-seven years, leaving a fam- 
ily of children, whose names are as follows: 
Phoebe: Maria: Mary Jeannette; John R., 
subject of this sketch; and Jasper. By his 
second union with Nancy Hanna of Venango 
County. Pa., Isaac Tallman reared the follow- 
ing children: Caroline, who married ex-Sen- 
ator Ross of Colorado : Lemuel N. ; Jane, wife 
of J. D. Ficus of Franklin, Pa.; Chester W.; 
James; Emeline. wife of H. A. Taylor of 
XtM-theast, Erie County. Pa.; and Isaac, Jr. 

John R., the eldest son, had very few- 
chances for obtaining an education, having to 
traverse a distance of three miles to go to 
school. Having so far to go, it is hardly to l)e 
expected that his attendance should be very- 
regular or that he would take a very great in- 
terest in the school. But later in life he be- 
came eager for a business education, so he 
studied as best he could, and his indomitable 
will, which would admit of no defeat, caused 
him to adhere steadfastly to his purpose, 
though beset with difficulties. After he had 
reached his majority he attended a select 
school at Titusville one term and thus com- 
pleted the desired business course. His early 
manhood was spent assisting his father on the 
farm, but after completing his education he 
went to work for G. B. Scott, working on the 
farm in summer and in the woods in winter. 
.\fter continuing that for some time he was 



358 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



united in marria^-c with Ellen M. Snedaker, a 
daughter of Thinnas and Xaiicy Snedaker. 
After his marriage he took his small earnings 
which he had saved by self-denial and pur- 
chased about 20 acres of tiinl)er land at Mc- 
Graw Center, and engagetl in lumbering for 
some time, cutting the timber and hauling it 
to Tidioute, a distance of three miles. After 
following lumbering for some time he became 
an expert pilot. Some time after he went to 
Tidioute and leased the Exchange Hotel, a 
temperance house which was then located at 
the mouth of Gordon Run. The hotel enjoyed 
a good business, being the home of the various 
raftsmen and lumbermen, besides being pa- 
tronized by the general traveling public. Dur- 
ing this time, when Mr. Tallman was proprie- 
tor of the hotel, he also engaged in teaming 
to a consideral)le extent, and by his temperate 
and plain living his modest bank account nat- 
urally increased. 

After the discovery of oil in that vicinity he 
began contracting to drill oil wells. .\t that 
time wells were not put down by the advan- 
tages of the present system of drilling, but 
were "kicked down." The first well put down 
by our subject was cilled the "Garden Well." 
situated where Mr. Taggart's house now 
stands. He engaged in contracting for such 
work for two years, principally for Jones & 
Salisbury of Philadelphia. He subsequently 
purchased a farm in Oil Creek township, Ve- 
nango County, and some interests in Oil 
Creek, but soon scjUI out for ,$3,000, realizing 
a nice profit on his investment, and again add- 
ing very materially to his bank account. 
About that time he took the contract of de- 



livering 5,000 barrels of refined oil from the 
refinery at Bull Run to the Shaiifer farm on Oil 
Creek, being engaged by Gilbert & Welton. 
After that was completed he sold all his inter- 
ests in that vicinity and went to Chautau(|u;i 
County, N. Y., purcliasing three farms in the 
grape belt. He still owns one farm of 1 5 
acres of fine growing grapes, w hich he rents. 
After attending to his three farms for some 
time, he practically retired from business, re- 
mo\ing to Tidioute. Although he now owns 
consitlerable oil interests in Tidioute and is 
largely interested as an oil producer with M. 
B. Dunham of Warren, with interests in other 
minor companies, his business is that of a capi- 
talist, being also a silent partner and stock- 
holder in many enterprises. Mr. Tallman's 
elegant home on Upper Main street was pur- 
chased just as it was completed l)y H. H. 
Evans. 

March 21, 1898, our subject was called 
upon to sustain the loss of his wife, a sad blow 
from which he can scarcely recover. Four 
children blessed their union, as follows: Dolly 
Almeda, wife of A. S. Knight of North Claren- 
don; Ada, who died in the bloom of youth, at 
the age of sixteen years: Blanche E., wife of 
A. F. Baker, now residing at Visalia, Cal.; and 
Charles B., a mechanic of Tidioute, who mar- 
ried Ella Wagoner, and has one daughter, 
Grace Ellen. 

Mr. Tallman was a ^^'hig. later a Know- 
nothing, but since the formation of the Re- 
publican part}' he has followetl the fortunes of 
that organization. He has served as council- 
man of Tidioute and in minor offices. Socially 
he is a member and past master of the lodge 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



369 



and chapter of the F. & A. M. at Westfield, 
N. Y. Mr. Tallman joined the I. O. O. F. 
lodge in Northeast, Erie Connty, Pa., forty- 
seven \ears ago, and also belonged to the en- 
campment. He is a past grand of the lodge 
and has represented both the lodge and en- 
campment at the session of the grand lodge of 
the state. 

In his religions views our sulijcct unites 
with the Methodists, and has served as stew- 
ard and class leader of that church. 



-T^""^ DWIN D. KEENY, justice of the 
P peace of North Clarendon, was born in 
'^^ '1836, in Geauga County, Ohio, and 
is a son of Cyrus Keeny, who, with his father, 
went to Ohio among the pioneer settlers, and 
followed the occupation of a farmer all his life. 
Our suljject was reared on his father's farm, 
attended the country schools, and received an 
education such as usually falls to the lot of an 
ordinary farmer's boy. 

On attaining that age when a youth boasts 
of "being his own man" he left the old home, 
around which were clustered the sw'eet mem- 
ories of childhood, and went to Cleveland, 
Ohio, where, in 1861, he enlisted as a private 
in the Ninth Ohio Independent Light Artil- 
lery and marched with the "l)oys in blue" for 
a period of three years and thirteen days, giv- 
ing to the support of this great and righteous 
cause his services with a will and good cheer. 
Being splendidly built, a typical specimen of 
physical manhood, he made one of the best 
of soldiers. He participated in numerous con- 
flicts, among which, were the noted battles of 



Mill Spring and Spring Hill, where soldierly 
merit was fairly tested. 

After the war he settled on Oil Creek, on 
the Tar farm, and engaged in oil producing 
verv successfully for a period of four years, 
and, being a man who can see "more than one 
thing at a time," he added a considerable 
amount to the competency which accrued 
from oil by dealing in cattle and sheep, which 
speculations he carried to cjuite an extent. He 
subsequently sold his oil interests in that vi- 
cinity and purchased property at Pleasantville, 
where he was also interested in the oil busi- 
ness for five years, removing then to Ohio, 
where he owned other property. Later on he 
settled at Bullion, Butler County, Pa., where 
he built a large boarding house; as he had 
learned the carpenter trade early in life, he did 
all his own ]5lanning and also partly con- 
structed this public house. After conducting 
it quite successfully for a few years, he de- 
cided to go to Byron Center and engage in 
keeping another boarding house. According- 
Iv. he constructed a commodious building 
there, which he manag'ed, and in connection 
with this enterprise he again engaged in the 
oil business. 

In June, i88j, he was prepared for another 
move; this time he decided to locate in North 
Clarendon, \\'arren County, Pa. Here he car- 
ried out his pet scheme of building to a great- 
er degree tiian ever before. He not only con- 
structed a large, convenient, and modern 
hotel for himself, but busied himself for some 
time in building houses for other parties. 
Since residing in North Clarendon. Mr. 
Kecnv has served as assessor for six vears, and 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



as justice of the peace for three years. He 
has also l)cen engas^ed in opening- up and 
operating oil wlIIs in llic vicinity of North 
Clarendon. 

He married Sarah X. Culver, daughter of 
Le\i CuKcr, df ( Icauga County, Ohio; they 
wore favoreil with two children — Carrie V. 
and .Mice K. Carrie \'. i)ecanie the wife of 
j. J. Crowly, of North Clarendon, and bore 
liini three children — Certrude, John, and 
Ruth. Alice E. is a very prominent music 
teacher, and is still at home. Her proficiency 
in th.is accomiilishment is recognized by the 
best class of patrons in North Clarendon. 

Our subject is .i stanch Republican, always 
in syni]iathy with hi.-> partv, anti when called 
to perform official (kities he gives the patrons 
of his office a clean, straightforward, business 
administration. 




[S. 



A. GLENN is the efficient superin- 
tendent of the large saw and lath 
mills owned by L. L. Hunter, and 
located on Tidioute Creek, in Triumph town- 
ship, Warren County, Pennsylvania. He has 
occupied his present position since the year 
1889, and the success of this plant is largely 
due to his able management. He was born in 
Mercer County, Pa., in 1854, and is a son of 
John and Rebecca (Vogan) Glenn, and grand- 
son of David Alexander Glenn. 

David Alexander Glenn was a native of Al- 
legheny County, Pa., whence he moved to 
Mercer County, Pa., where he bought a farm 
and raised his family. His son John, the father 
of D. A. Glenn, became the owner of this farm 



by purchase, after his marriage to Rebecca 
Vogan, cleared it up and reared his family also 
thereon. The maternal grandfather of the 
subject of this sketch joined the army in iSi_>, 
and marched to the lakes, but as the war was 
practically over, his services were not needed. 

John Glenn, the father of our subject, was 
born in Allegheny County, Pa., in 1824, and 
there received his mental training in the dis- 
trict schools. The scene of his farming e.x- 
perience was Mercer County, as above men- 
tioned, where he ])urchased forty-three acres 
of timber land; the timber at that time was of 
very little value and it was made into large 
piles and burned. John Glenn carried on farm- 
ing until his death, which occurred in i8yi, 
at the age of sixty-seven years. He was joined 
in marriage with Rebecca Vogan, who was 
born and educated in Mercer County; up to 
the time of her marriage she was engaged in 
teaching school. Five children were born to 
them, namely: Jane; Adella; D. A.; Theresa, 
and William. 

D. A. Glenn was intellcctualh- trained in the 
schools of his native township, and in Utica 
College, at EUica, Pennsylvania. Leaving 
school he found work in the sawmill owned 
by William Cole, and afterwards operated a 
lath mill for Alexander Reed; he also worked 
at various mills in this vicinity until 1889, 
when he accepted his present position. The 
mills operated by our subject cover thirty-five 
acres of ground, tributary to which is a tract 
of about four thousand acres of valuable tim- 
lier land; the mill is equipped with the latest 
and most impro\ed machinery, and is what is 
known as a bandmill. A visit to this place is 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



361 



a surprise to most people, who have seen noth- 
ing' Init tlie old circular mills, and a sawyer of 
the present time, in order to he successful, 
must he a mechanic with a good knowledge of 
tool dressing. For not only must he know 
the craft of sawing, hut on occasion, must he 
capahle of making saws, and re])airing them 
when hroken. On the ground lloor of the 
plant is the hoiler room, witli its own fire ex- 
tinguishing apparatus; adjoining are the flues 
and the elevator for carrying off the waste to 
the creek, or to he Inirned. This room con- 
tains most of the heavy working parts of the 
machinery, — hiding the immense lielts and 
pulleys, \\hich are here ])]aced for the safety of 
the workmen. Upstairs is where the wood 
working proper is conducted and here the log 
is received and placed on the hed of the ma- 
chine and the forty-eight-foot hand saw ]5uts 
it through the first operation; the most of this 
machinery is worked automatically; the ma- 
terial is next placed on the edging machine, 
with its hattery of solid saws, and also the 
movahle saws. It is then placed on the finish- 
ing machine and the smaller pieces are trans- 
ferred to the lath mill; the entire operation 
from the time the log is iirst placed to the fin- 
ishing of the hoards, is done without lifting 
the log from the hed of the machine. Adjoin- 
ing this room is the tool room, where the tools 
are stored and hroken ones repaired; the vards 
contain a large amount of finished lumher, 
which is shipped to various lumher merchants 
throughout the state; south of the yards is 
the terminus of a miniature railroad, that runs 
into the lumher woods for a distance of four 
miles; the timher is cut and placed on the 



trucks and sent down to the pool, which at 
present contains a million feet of lumljer. The 
output of last year was 6,000,000 feet of lum- 
her. The first five years our suhject worked 
for L. L. Hunter he conducted a circular mill, 
hut has since operated a hand-mill. 

Mr. Glenn was united in matrimonial honds 
with Lizzie Ward, who was horn and mentally 
trained in Mercer County. A family of eight 
children have hlessed their happy home, as 
follows; John L.. George. Charles, Rebecca, 
Delia, Kate, Harry and Mary. Mr. Glenn is 
a Democrat in politics; religiously, he is a 
memher of the United Preshyterian Church. 
He IS also the owner of a farm in Mercer 
Count V. which he rents. 




EORGE W. KING, a successful and 
prosperous meat merchant of \Vest 
Hickory townsh.ip. Forest County, 
Pa., was horn December 15, 1838, near 
Rochester, X. V. He is a son of George W. 
King, who was l)orn in Monroe County, 
N. Y., in 18 14, and was a grandson of George 
King, who came from \'ermont, where the 
ancestors of George W. originally resided. 
George appears to have been the favorite 
name in the family, having been handed down 
continuously to several of its members. 

The grandfather of our subject was first 
married to Aliss French, who died young, 
leaving a family of three children. By his 
second wife he had five children, three sons 
and two daughters — eight children in all. He 
was a farmer, and at his death was buried at 
West Ih-ighton. Monroe Countv, N. Y. The 



362 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



mother of the suliject of our skcteh was Ra- 
chel W'ilHains, of Pouglikeepsie, N. V. She 
was a (laughter of German parents, who re- 
sided in the Mohawk X'allev, and was l)orn 
at i'.righton in iSiTi and died there in 1S53. 
She married the father of (icoroe W. King at 
15righton, N. Y., about 1837. They had a 
family of six children, as follows: George W.; 
Clarissa C, widow of I'.arnard Hook, of Brad- 
ford, Pa., with three children; Charles, who 
kept a hotel in Tetersburg, Pa., where he died 
\'oung, leaving a widow and three children", 
Eugene, who died during the Civil War near 
Rochester, X. \'., and was umnarried; Mar_\-, 
wife of Lewis F. Eggbert, of Bradford, Pa., 
with three sons; and John G., who is a hotel- 
keeper in Kane, McKean County, Pa., and 
has a wife and one son. The father of George 
W. was engaged for years in the meat busi- 
ness. He died in Petersburg, Pa., in 1877. 

Our sul)ject was reared to the meat busi- 
ness, in which his father was very successful. 
He attended the district school and worked 
with his father until he was aliout sixteen 
\ears old. He left his home in 1858 and re- 
moved to Battle Creek, Mich., wdiere he was 
employed at his trade as butcher until the fol- 
lowing year. He then started out with a large 
dro\e of sheep, going up the north side of the 
Platte River, crossing at Omaha, Neb., and 
thence on through the Sacramento Valley 
into California, which was the destination of 
the drove. The journey took six months, for 
which Mr. King received a salary of ten dol- 
lars per month and his actual expenses. When 
he started out the drove of sheep numliered 
6.500 and about 2,000 were lost on the jour- 



ney to the Golden State. Mr. King remained 
in California ff>r eight years. There he met 
and wooed M.argaret l'"it/])atrick, whom he 

married in iSOi. She was a daughter of 

l'"itz]);itrick' and was born in Ireland in 1839. 
When ,d)out fourteen years old she left Ire- 
land and came to this country alone, making 
the trij) in a sailing vessel, which was on the 
ocean for six weeks. On reaching New York 
she immediately started for California, where 
she joined a sister who had preceded her to 
the United States. After successfully engag- 
ing in the meat business in California for sev- 
eral years Air. King returned to this state in 
1S67 and located in Petroleum Centre, where 
he remained for ten years and successfully fol- 
lowed his trade. He then removed to Hick- 
ory township. Forest County, where he has 
since resided. He has a fine farm of 400 
acres, much of it hilly and well adajitcd to 
sheep-raising. Mr. King devotes his atten- 
tion largely to the management of the farm 
and to the sheei). which are raised in consid- 
erable numbers. He is engaged, also, in the 
meat business, in which he is assisted by his 
son, George L. King, who has an interest in 
the business. 

Mr. and Mrs. King mourn the loss of two 
of their children, an infant son and a daugh- 
ter, Anna, who died at the age of two years. 
Their second son. George L., married Han- 
nah Casey, and they have a young son, 
Charles Barnard King, who is the pride and 
pet of the family. The father and son and 
their families reside together in the home of 
George \\'. King. In politics Air. King is a 
Republican, although he is the son of a stanch 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



363 



Jacksonian Democrat'. He has served accept- 
al)ly as justice of the ])cacc. Mrs. King is a 
consistent and faitliful member of the Roman 
Catliolic Clnircli, as is tlie son, George L. 
Kin<7. 




YRl'S F. HUNT, one of the leading 
farmers of Jenks township, is follow- 
ing that occupation in connection 
with lumbering, on his farm just outside tiie 
town of Marienville. Pa. Air. Hunt was born 
September 22, iiS52, in Marienville, Forest 
County, Pa., and is a son of Col. John D. and 
Marion (Blood) Hunt. Cyrus F. was the re- 
cipient of a good common-school education, 
which was supplemented by a course in Duff's 
Business College at Pittsburg, Pa., from which 
he graduated in 1874. 

In 1878 he located in Philadelphia and en- 
gaged in the manufacture of boxes, continu- 
ing that line of business for two years, when, 
on account of his father's failing health, he 
returned home to take charge of his father's 
conunercial interests. In addition to assist- 
ing his father, Cyrus F. accepted a position 
with the United Pipe Line Company as a line- 
man, with an office in Marienville. After the 
death of his father, he discontinued that work, 
and carried on farming and lumbering, cut- 
ting the timber from oft' 400 acres of land. 

Mr. Hunt is a prominent Democrat, and 
has held various township ofifices. On August 
10, 1880, he was joined in the holy bonds of 
matrimony with Belle L. Collom, an attrac- 
ti\e daughter of Samuel and Louisa (Fox) 
Collom. Mrs. Plunt is a native of Cjcrman- 



town, Pennsylvania. Her father is one of the 

most prominent contractors and builders in 
that city, and is now city building in- 
spector. He built the second story of the 
city hall in 1876. Mr. and Mrs. Hunt have 
had two children, one of whom is now de- 
ceased. Their names are Lee F., born June 
9, 1 89 1, and Earl B., born December 22, 1893, 
and died February 15, 1898. 

The paternal grandfather was born in Hart- 
ford, Conn. Very little is known of his early 
career. 

Col. John D. Htmt, father of the subject 
hereof, received in his youth a practical school 
education, and remained at home until he at- 
tained the age of twenty-two years; but at 
that age he left his home in the East and 
started on a trip to Ohio for his health. While 
en route he fell in with Cyrus Blood, who in- 
duced him to give up his Ohio trip and ac- 
company him to the present site of Alarien- 
ville, Pa. This Mr. Hunt was finally persuaded 
to do, although with no intention of staying 
there permanently; but upon his arrival at the 
selected place, which was then in the midst of 
a wilderness, he was so favorably impressed 
with the opportunities for business that he 
concluded to remain. He and Mr. Blood pur- 
chased 4,000 acres of land, the center of the 
tract being occupied at the present time by 
the town of Marienville. 

They at once began clearing the timber, 
and, after building two sawmills, they also 
built a grist mill, being associated in business 
there until the death of Mr. Blood. Cyrus 
F.'s father then continued lumbering and 
farming until cut off by death in 1887. He 



364 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



was a Democrat, and took an active part in 
politics, serving one term in the legislatnre; 
lie was also countv treasurer, anil hold all the 
township offices. He also belonged to the 
state militia, and held a colonel's commission. 
In his religions views he was first a Lutheran, 
and then a Presbyterian. 

Col. Jolni D. limit was a very prominent 
and influential man in his community, and was 
also unusually successful in his business ven- 
tures, accumulating a fine property. He 
wedded Marien Blood, a daughter of Cyrus 
T'lood, whose sketch also ap])ears in this pub- 
lication, in connection with that of Dr. Tow- 
Icr. Mr. and Mrs. Hunt were blessed with 
two children, namely: Clara B. wife of Dr. 
Towler, and Cyrus F., the subject of this 
sketch. 

The intluence of Cyrus F. Hunt is at all 
times cast for what he considers to be the 
best interests of the community. His well- 
deserved success in life is the natural result 
of an unusual amount of energy, combined 
with a sufficient degree of conservativeness, 
which never led him to indulge in extremes 
or doubtful projects. He has been a hard 
worker in legitimate channels, and deserves, if 
ever a man did, the high esteem and respect 
which are accorded to him. 



ICH.XFL MFRKLF is the bearer of 
a name that is well and favora1)ly 
known throughout Warren Coun- 
tv. Pa. He numbers among the tillers of the 
soil of Limestone townshi]). and has. by his 
own efforts, secured a place in the list of solid 




and prominent men of tiie western part of the 
Keystone State. The birthplace of our subject 
was in W'iirtemberg, Germany, and he came 
into life July (>. 1845. ^^'^ parents were 
Michael and W'ilhelniina (Killinger) Merkle. 

The senior Mr. Merkle was also a native of 
( jermany. where after receiving his education, 
he learned the occupation of a farmer. He 
sought for his life-partner, W'ilhelmina Killin- 
ger, who was liorn, reareil and educated in 
German}-. She bore her husband the fcjllow- 
ing six children: Magdalena; William; Wil- 
helmina (Schoelkopf); Michael, subject of 
this brief sketch; Lavina J. (Eisenbrown), and 
Anna H. (Grandin). 

The parents of Mr. Merkle left Germany 
ill 1852, landing at New York, and pro- 
ceeded to friends in Economy, Pa., where they 
remained fifteen months. They then removetl 
to Warren County, where Mr. Merkle pur- 
chased a farm containing 100 acres, situated in 
Limestone township, about four miles from 
Tidioute. After making a small clearing, he 
built a log house and barn and at once began 
to feel the hardships and privations inciilent to 
pioneer life. When he had cleared about forty 
acres, howe\'er, he had a comfortable home, 
and very soon thereafter, a nicely arranged 
farm. Mr. Merkle was a strict advocate of 
the principles of Democracy, but c(nikl never 
be prevailed upon to accept office. He was a 
live, energetic, public-spirited man, who was 
never found iiulift'erent to aii_\' nio\enient 
which, from a business, educational or relig- 
ious point of view, was calculated to better the 
condition of the conmuniity, or result in its 
advancement. He was an active and valued 




JOHN CHRISTIAN SECIIRIKST. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



?,G7 



member of the Lutheran Churcli. His death 
occurred in 1892. 

Micliael Merkle received his primary edu- 
cation in Germany, conchidin^' liis slu<lies in 
America. Having finished his studies he as- 
sisted his father in farming during summer, 
and in lunihering (hu'ing the winter, imlil liis 
marriage, wiien lie went into Inisiness for him- 
self. Afary Hunter, a daughter of Matthew 
Hunter, became his wife, and proved to be a 
charming lady and a devoted companion. 
Mrs. Merkle is a native of Limestone town- 
ship, where she was born in 1849, and was 
reared and educated — living with her jjar- 
ents until her marriage with the subject of this 
sketch. The home of this worthv cou]de is 
ha])pil_\' enlixened by the presence of the fol- 
lowing ten children: ^Matthew \\'.: Lenora 
(ALartin); Myrtie B. (Hopkins); Michael L.; 
James L. ; Charles F. ; H. Herbert and Harry 
H., twins: George L. ; and Anna H. 

After his marriage, Mr. Merkle bought the 
old homestead; the log house and barns erect- 
ed b_\- his honored father were still standing. 
In 1872 he tore do.wn the old buildings which 
liad become dilapidated and worthless, and 
erected in their stead a more substantial and 
convenient set of outlniildings of modern 
style. He has always been a practical farmer, 
and in addition to farming, has devoted much 
time to \arious oil and lumber interests, both 
for himself and for others. Mr. Merkle was 
at one time a stockholder in the Tidioute Sav- 
ings Bank. ( )f late years, he has rented his 
own farm to his son-in-law and is now residing 
U])on the farm of L. L. Hunter of Tidioute. 

He has always been a prominent member of 



the Democratic party; his convictions in mat- 
ters of public interest being leased on accurate 
information and correct conclusions. He is 
especially well posted on rdl that is trrmspiring 
at home or abroad, and is a fair and impartial 
judge of men and affairs. He has been for 
nine years a member of the board of super- 
\isors, and has also ser\'ed as school director 
and road commissioner. As a man, a citizen, 
and a public officer, he is every where es- 
teemed, respected and trusted. Socially, our 
subject is a member in good standing of the 
P. of H. 



'^OHN CHRISTLVX SECHRIEST of 
Conewango township, Warren County, 
Pa., whose portrait accompanies this 
sketch, has been successfully engaged in vari- 
ous trades, and his experience covers many 
fields of labor, while his career in life has been 
crowded with events of importance which 
have followed one another in close succession. 
He came with his parents from the far away 
sunny France when a b(jy, two years of age. 
They settled in Pennsyhania. coming direct to 
Warren. This was back in the ■'thirties." be- 
fore the woodman's ax had shorn the virgin 
soil of its timber growth, or the banks of the 
winding streams had been dotted with flour- 
ishing cities, towns and \illages. ( )ur subject 
was born June 1, i8_:ii, near Strasiiurg, 
France, and is a son of John P. Sechriest. He 
was sent to the district schools in Conewango 
township until he had attained the age of six- 
teen or se\'enteen }-ears. In those days schools 
were not pro\-ided in the country districts for 



368 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



a lousier time than three or four iiKinths, and 
wlicn not at sclu)ol yonn^' Sechriest lielped his 
uncle on tlie farm — U\iniL;' thus until he was 
twenty-one years old. 1 le diil not receive that 
polished education which the young farmer 
lad of to-day may get. Tiie district school of 
his boyhood days was a very primitive educa- 
tional institution. Few if any of them were 
better sui)])lied than with a log house, the 
cracks of which were chinked with stones and 
daubed with clay — with probably ;i window in 
each side, a door in the fi'ont end .and :i huge 
fireplace in the rear end, cajiable of I'.okling a 
"back-log," a foot or more in diameter. Along 
the side of the building was a liench, and 
across the room ran rows of benches without 
foot or back rests. Such were the district 
school house and furniture of a century, or 
even half a century, ago. But shall we say 
there were no intelligent faces or bright minds 
among the boys who attended these rude in- 
stitutions of learning? Every generation has 
been equal to the occasion and furnished cap- 
able, -intelligent and honest men in all the 
walks of life. 

John Philip Sechriest, father of our subject, 
was born near Strasburg, France, in 1790; his 
devoted wife, Mary Saloma, who was a daugh- 
ter of Daniel Strubler, was born, in the same 
vicinity, and in the same year. John Philip, 
with his wife and f.amily, consisting of Philij), 
J(]hn Christian and Saloma, came to this coim- 
try in 1S33. They left their nati\e place and 
jiroceeded to Havre, via Paris, traveling in 
France for more than two weeks in true emi- 
grant style. When they arrisetl at the port of 
shi])ment the same wagon was put on board 



the ship and brought to this country with 
them. The \tjyage lasted over three months, 
and, landing at New York, they traveled via 
.\lbany, Buffalo and Dunkirk, to Warren 
Coimty, Pennsylvania. 

This identical wagon was the first to be im- 
ported into that county, and was kept in use 
by the family for many years afterward. 
Reaching Warren County, they located at 
\'ankerbush (which was originally founded 
by Xew luigiand Yankees), where the father 
bought 100 acres of land from a Mr. Jennings 
and set about to clear off the heavy timber. 
He farmed thereon until his death., which took 
place in July, 1861; his wife outlived him by 
about twenty years, dying in 1880. 

Before John C. was twenty-two years old he 
went to work for his uncle, Mathias Gutzler, 
on the latter's farm, which was known as acad- 
emy farm No. 3, for a number of years. Upon 
the death of his uncle, which occurred on June 
8, 1852, he took possession of the farm, and on 
February 27, 1853, he married Susan Ann 
Shafer, daughter of Joseph Sliafer of Venango 
County, Pennsylvania. He took his bride to 
academy farm and lived there until about 
1873. In i860 he became interested in the 
milk l)usiness, which he carried on in conjunc- 
tion w ith his farming, and was one of the first 
men to sujiply the Warren people with milk. 

Not man_\- years after he went into the milk 
business there was a great scarcity of hay for 
feeding ])uri)oses (the oil industry then having 
opened up), and he sold out his stock of cows, 
of which he had 39 head, and went into pack- 
ing and ship])ing h;iy. For this {iurpose he 
bought a boat, and would bring a cargo of ftay 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



into the oil district and take therefrom a load 
of oil, which he boated to the market, to i)e 
shi])ped by rail throughout the country. The 
oil business soon became so nourishing that it 
was necessary to have better shipi)ing facili- 
ties, and a railroad was built into the oil dis- 
tricts. Having to contend with the opposition 
brought about by the railroad, Mr. Sechriest 
decided to change his base of operations and 
make a venture in the real estate business. He 
sold his interest in the acadeiny farm, bought 
lots adjacent to the borough and built houses 
thereon. He contimied to increase these pur- 
chases and to farm the land until such time as 
these were incoriiorated within the borough.. 
Then he removed a little further out and pur- 
chased the farm which he now cultivates. The 
borough lots now constitute Sechriest Square. 
Mr. Sechriest's family were all born on the 
academy farm and are: Saloma Cinderella; 
Joseph (dead); Philip (dead); Sarah S.; and 
Simon S. S. Sarah married Chas. S. Fairchild, 
of Warren County. Simon married Lorina 
Rieg, of Warren County, and their family are: 
Ross Rieg, born January 29, 1892; and Web- 
ster, born May 16, 1894. Saloma C. married 
T. N. Dunham, of Mercer County, Pennsyl- 
vania. Our suljject has served in minor offices 
in the township for a number of years. He was 
councilman in the borotigh for three years and 
school director for nine years, during all of 
which time he was also treasurer. He was re- 
cently elected supervisor of Conewango town- 
ship for a term of four years. For a very long 
period he has been road master, and has al- 
ways taken the greatest interest in getting 
good roads. He is affili;ne(l with the Kc])ub- 



lican party, and can be found working in a le- 
gitimate way to advance its interests. His 
father was a member of the I.utheran Church, 
while he has been a member of the I'.vangel- 
ical Clnu'ch since 1851. 



§AMES E. GAUL. Among the well-to- 
do farmers of Forest Countv, Pa., the 
gentleman whose name heads this 
sketch stands foremost. He is of that good 
old (German stock that knows nothing of the 
word "'fail." He was born in Jenks to\vn- 
sliip, near where he now resides, on the old 
l^Idridge homestead, on January 5, 1859. 
James was the recijiient of a common-school 
education in his youth, and when fourteen 
years of age went to work on his father's farm, 
where he has spent his entire life following 
agricultiu-al pursuits, and also lumbering to 
some extent. 

Mr. Gaul owns 260 acres of land, 40 acres 
of which is under a high state of cultivation. 
In 1895 he erected one of the finest residences 
in Forest County. On September 23, 1885, 
oiu" subject 1)ecame a benedict, exchanging 
mutual vows of affection with Edith Scott, an 
accomplished daughter of James Scott of Phil- 
adelphia, who went to I""orest Comity .ibout 
the same time as did the father of the subject 
of this sketch. Mr. and Mrs. (iaul are the 
proud parents of seven children, namely; 
James C; Charles E. ; Florence E.: John F. ; 
Marion I).; h'rank C: and Frances M. 

In politics the subject hereof is a liljcral 
supjiorter of wliome\er he considers the liest 
man. In religious matters he favors the Pap 



370 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



list Church, of whicli his wife is a ineniher. 
James E. Gaul is a son of John F. and Deb- 
orah (Eldridge) Gaul, grandson of John F. 
Gaul, and grcat-.qrandson of Jolm F. CJaul, 
lolni F. heini;- a favorite name in the Gaul 
family for many i^enerations. 

The great-yrandfather of our suljject was 
horn Julv 4, ijOu, and eame to America in 
177_', locating- at once in I'hiladelphia; he was 
a soldier in the War of the Revolution — the 
grandfather of our subject being en- 
gagetl in the War of iSij. and t)ur subject's 
father serving in the C'i\il War as a lieutenant 
colonel in the 4th Iveg., I'emi. \'ol. Reserves, 
on his discharge from which he re-enlisted and 
served one year in the 5Slh Reg., Penn. \'ol. 
Inf. lie was a basket-maker by trade, 
and followed thai vocation all his life. The 
grandfather of our subject was born in Phila- 
delidiia .\\>v\\ 2, J7S7. He was a contractor 
and builder by trade, and spent his entire life 
following that calling in his native city. Our 
subject's father was also born in Philadelphia 
]\larcli 12, 1820. He attended public school 
mnil fomteen years of age, and then entered a 
brass foundry, learning that trade, which he 
folhjwed al>out eighteen years, the last hvc 
years of which he w;is in business for himself. 
In i855herem()ved to Forest County, Pa., set- 
tling hrst on the banks of the Blue Jay Creek, 
lluwe township, where he owned 100 acres of 
land, .\fter wurking u|i(in this land for one 
summer and winter, uur subject's father went 
to work for James Kldridge in 1857. Later 
he bargained for a farm, without securing a 
deed, but ui>on the death of Mr. hLldridge the 
land became the pro])erty of Mrs. Gaul, as her 



[jortion of the 1,000 acres owned b\' her father 
while lix'ing. 

Upon this land John I'". Gaul built a log 
house and ])eg;in the arduous task of clearing 
the band and making a home for his family. 
John !•". (ianl was twice married. He was 
first uniteil with Harriet Dixon in 1846, and 
this union was blessed with three children. 
Mrs. Gaul died in 1852. In 1857 ^Ir. Gaul 
contracted a marriage with the mother of our 
subject. Deborah Eldridge, a charming daugh- 
ter of James Eldridge. Two children were the 
result of this union. James E., and Thomas, 
who died in infancy. 

The father of James E. was a Democrat and 
ser\e(l as justice of the peace, as school di- 
rector, and as county commissioner. The 
mother of the subject hereof departed from 
her earthly home August 31. 1894. James E. 
Ciaul is a moral, law-abiding citizen, whose 
intiuence is at all times thrown on the side of 
those measures that will most benefit his sec- 
tion, where he is regarded as one of the most 
progressive farmers. Who shall say this dis- 
tinction is unmerited? 




DG.\R F. EDDY, one of the most 
irominent shingle manufacturers of 
Jenks town.shij), although not a na- 
ti\e of Forest County, has been identified with 
its business interests for a number of years. 
This gentleman was born at Salamanca, New 
York, May 24, 1866, is a son of Dr. Thomas 
and Phoebe (Kilburn) Eddy, and grandson of 
Enos Eddy. 

Edgar F. Eddv remained at home and at- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



371 



tciuk-d tlic common schools during liis youth, 
l)Ut in 1S75 he located at Corry, Pa., wlierc 
lie attended school, and worked in the saw and 
shingle nulls until 1889, and then went to 
Marienville. There he also entered the shingle 
mills, working l)y the dax' until 1892. Hav- 
ing heen very saving of his money and eco- 
nomical in his habits, he had saved up con- 
siderable money, which he now invested in a 
shingle mill at the place now called Bridge- 
port, in Forest County, three miles from Ma- 
rienville. After carrying on the business there 
very successfully for about seven months, his 
shingle mill burned, and he then located eight 
miles below Marienville. He built a new' 
siiingle mill, with a daily capacity of 30,000 
shingles, which he operated for three years, 
when he received a second \isit from the fire 
fiend. Somewhat discouraged by his double 
misfortune, he gave up the shingle business 
for a couple of years, and worked at building 
rigs in the oil fields of West Virginia. 

In 1896 he located his present plant on the 
Little Salmon Creek, and again engaged in 
the manufacture of shingles. He has a mill 
fully equipped with all modern improvements, 
with a daily output of 30,000 shingles — doing 
contract work for the Hammond-Crosby 
Lumber Company. He has recently added to 
his business enterprise a tract of 600 acres of 
limber land, and is building another shingle 
mill. In October, 1892, Mr. Eddy wedded 
Miss Belle Wilson of Sligo. Clarion C"ounty. 
Pennsylvania, Three children bless this union, 
Martha, Edgar, and Daniel, of whom Mr. 
and Mrs. Eddy are extremely and very justly 
proud. 



Enos Eddy, the grandfather of our subject, 
was born near Providence. 1\. I., and about 
i8_'5 settled near Machias. X. Y.. where he 
carried on farming to a large extent. After 
remaining there some years, he located in 
Pan(lol]>h. X. ^'., wiicre he purchased a f\v.c 
farm and spent his closing years in that j)eace- 
ful and independent calling. Dr. Thomas 
Eddy, father of the subject hereof, was born 
near Machias, X. Y., on his fathers farm. He 
remained at home working on the farm and 
attending the public school until he attained 
the age of seventeen years, when his parents 
sent him to a medical college, from which he 
graduated with honors. Immediately after- 
ward he l)egan the practice of his chosen pro- 
fession, which he carried on with much suc- 
cess at Salamanca, X. Y., until the breaking 
out of the Civil Wav. Being fired with patriot- 
ism, he gave up his large practice and volun- 
teered as a private in the Union Army. How- 
e\'er he did not ser\e in the ranks, but was de- 
tailed on hospital duty. 

It is supposed that the greater part of the 
three years he spent in the ser\ice he was sta- 
tioned at the iiospital at Elmira, X. Y. After 
his discharge from the service. Dr. Eddy re- 
turned to his old home at Salamanca, N. Y., 
but, thinking the Keystone State offered 
better advantages, he located at Kinzua, W'ar- 
ren County, Pa., where he successfully fol- 
lowed his noble profession of alleviating pain 
and healing the sick, until his useful life was 
ended by death in September, 1889, His 
widow still survives him, residing in ^larien- 
ville. Pa. She bore her husband the following 
six children: E\a: [ay; Lillian; Roswell: Ida; 



372 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



who died aged fourteen years; and Edgar F.. 
snl)joct of tlicse brief lines. 

In liis ]i(ililical conxiclions Mr. I'".ddy is 
stiicll\' a l'r()liil:)ilionist, believing inlcniper- 
ance to lie the curse of our nation. lie is a 
leading nienil.er, and a supporter of the M. E 
Church. .Mr. l'".dd_\- is abundantly (lualilied to 
till his present p(.)sition. or an\- similar one. in 
an eminently surcessfid manner, as almost his 
entire life has been spent in factories and 
shingle mills. 

He is a practical man and has a shrewd eye 
for improvements and new adaptations in ma- 
chinery. Socially he is a member of the I^oya! 
'reni]ilars of Marien\illc. 



^TI'M'MEX II. h:V.\NS. rrominent 
^/^ among the capitalists of Warren 
County who haxx' obtained their 
wealth not by inheritance but by their own 
exertions alone, stands Stejihen 11. Evans, an 
ex-postmaster and retired merchant of Tidi- 
oute, who is also a j)opular and progressive 
farmer of that section, and a noted breeder of 
fine Jersey cattle. Mr. I"!\ans was born De- 
cendier 8. i8_^S, in Cochranton. Crawford 
Comity, i'a.. is a son of I'eter I'^xans, and 
grandson of Walter Evans. 

Walter Evans was ot Welsh descent, and 
the earliest facts known of him are that he was 
both a farmer and a cooper of Lancaster 
County. l\Mnisyl\ania. I lis chihlren were 
Jacob; William Peter, father of the subject 
hereof; John; Samuel; (ieorge; Joseph; Hen- 
ry; Elizabeth: Polly; Julia; Catherine, and 
Susan. 



Peter Evans was 1)orn in Lancaster County, 
Pa., where, wlien grown to manhood, he 
learned the trade of a boat -builder, and fol- 
lowed his trade in Chautau(|ua County. New- 
^'ork. In iHj3, in a large canoe which he had 
built, Mr. i'^vans brought his household goods 
and his familv, which consisted of his wife and 
one child. down the.Mlegheny River to Erank- 
lin, then by pushing and pulling the canoe up 
Erench Creek he succeeded in getting to 
Cochranton. There he bought fifty acres of 
w ild land, covered with white oak timber, and 
built a rude log cabin for the accommodation 
of his familv. He then l)egan the arduous 
task of clearing and cultivating the land, 
wliich cost him but three dollars an acre, and 
w hen cleared, was sold for one hundred dollars 
an acre, .\fter living there many years en- 
gaged in farming and lumbering, he sold his 
farm and retired to Tidioute in 1867, where 
his death occurred in 1882. He was united 
in marriage with Elsie Hadley, a daughter of 
Stephen Hadley, a well-to-do farmer of Chau- 
tauqua County, New York. Elsie's father 
died \oung and she was reared Ijy her 
mother's sister, Mrs. George W. Eenton, the 
mother of ex-Governor Reuben K. Eenton. 
Mrs. Evans was born in 1810, and survived 
her husband but one year, passing away in 
1883. The following are their children: Hen- 
ry H.; Elizabeth; George W.; Walter C; Ste- 
phen H.. the subject of this sketch; and Ellen. 

Stephen 11. Evans attended the ])ublic 
schools of his native place, after which he was 
a pupil at the Meadville Academy. He then 
went to Tidioute in 1859, to study medicine 
with Dr. Charles Kimble. In the meantime 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



373 



lie taui^Iit scliool in the Joseph Magee dis- 
trict, also teaching classes in penmanship. 
After closing his school in April, i860, being 
desirous of taking a little tri]), and being of- 
fered a place on a raft down the .Mlegheny 
l\i\cr to Pittsburg, he readily acce])te(l the 
opportunity and was soon started on his jour- 
ney. When at Pittsburg, the raft was attached 
to three cjthers to be run dow n the Ohio Ri\'er 
to Cincinnati, and he continued on his way 
down the Ohio River to Maysville, Kentucky, 
where he visited his brother Walter, who was 
a teacher there. Hi* return trip was accom- 
plished by steamer to Cincinnati, by railroad 
to Erie, and thence by stage to Meachille and 
Tidioute. 

In .August, 1862, Mr. Evans enlisted in the 
Union Ami}-, and was elected second lieuten- 
ant of Company F, 145th Reg., Penn. Vol., 
under Col. H. L. Brown. The fourth da)- after 
being mustered into the regiment at Erie, Pa., 
the company was taken in a box car to Cham- 
bersburg. Pa., thence to Antietam, where, 
with a strength of one thousand men, they 
supported a battery. The next day after the 
Antietam battle his regiment buried the bod- 
ies of five hundred confederates. After this 
thev marched to Harper's Ferry, then camped 
at Bolivar Heights, one month, and afterwards 
marched up the Shenandoah Valley, where 
they were engaged in many skirmishes. 
Among the most important battles in which 
Mr. Evans participated was the battle of Fred 
ericksburg, Va., where the Union Army met 
V. ith heavy losses, his company and regiment 
losing over fifty per cent. After that his com- 
pany did light service and ])icket duty luitil 



our sulijcct was smitten with fe\cr, and was 
com])elled to resign, receiving his discharge 
March 31, 1863. 

Shortly after his return hoiue. President 
Eincoln appoiiUcd him postmaster of Tidi- 
oute, in which capacity he served for ten 
years. During this time Tidioute enjoyed an 
"oil boom," and the office was changed from 
fifth to first class, while a simil.'ir change took 
place in the postmaster's salary. At first he 
was paid only $330 per year, but at the close 
of his administration $3,200 was paid, and two 
additional clerks were recpiired to dispose of 
the business. In 1863. Mr. Evans became as- 
sociated with \\'. R. Dawson in the mercan- 
tile business, continuing for eleven years. He 
then sold his interest to Mr. Dawson, who is 
still a prosperous merchant of the town. 
Mr. Evans, wishing an outdoor life for him- 
self, and also for his sons, then purchased 
125 acres of woodland adjoining the town of 
Tidioute; this purchase was a part of the Mc- 
Guire tract. After clearing about seventy-five 
acres, he built two tenement houses, and two 
large, modern barns. Being a lover of fine 
stock, Mr. Evans next turned his attention to 
stock raising, and purchased for that purpose 
some fine, registered Jersey cattle. Since then 
he has devoted almost his entire attention to 
that business, and the reputation of his stock 
has spread throughout the United States. 
Since the establishment of his stock farm, Mr. 
Evans has shipped over one hundred head of 
registered Jersey cattle to different parts of 
the country, having sent two car loads direct 
to Texas, and a similar shipmeiu to West \'ir- 
giiu'a, — realizing in return, from $50 to $500 



374 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



a head. All this has tended to extend his 
fame abroad as a l)rccder nf fine, registered 
Jersey cattle. 

Mr. livans was Iwiee married. ilis lirst 
wife was luneline Mc(iill. a d.'inqiiter oi Kev. 
Arthur MctiilJ. She died in i8r)3 at aijont the 
as^e of twenty-three years. leavin<j' one son. 
llai'ry. as a legacy to her husliand. llarry 
Evans is now located in Seward County, Kan- 
sas, where he owns one thousand acres of fine 
land. and. like his fatiier. raises and ships fine 
cattle. He married Kittie Carter of Ran- 
dol|)h, Xew ^'ork. They had two children, — 
Jvoliert and fMiiina. Having become a widow- 
er, Mr. I'Aans was again married, in 1865, — 
this time to Evaline McGill, a daughter of 
Charles McGill of Kinzua, Warren County. 
Pennsylvania. Three children blessed this sec- 
ond union, — all sons, — as follows: Charles S., 
.\rthur Rliss and Walter Clyde. Charles S. 
was graduated in dental surgery from the 
Uni\-ersity of Pennsylvania, and is now one of 
the leading dentists of Pittsburg, Pcnnsvl- 
vania. December 22. 1898, he was united in 
marriage with Bessie Isabella Morton, a hand- 
.sonie and accomplished young lady of Pitts- 
burg. .\rthur Bliss graduated from the Mead- 
A-ille Commercial College and the Rochestc 
Business University, and is now bookkeeper 
for Reid & Murdock, of Chicago. Walter 
Clyde was formerly a student of Grove City 
College and afterwards a private in Companv 
F. 15th Reg.. Pa. Infantry during the war with 
Spain. 

In addition to his many other enterprises, 
Mr. Evans has also been one of the oil pro- 
ducers of his section. He is a stanch Repub- 



lican, and has served as councilman. He is a 
Christian. ha\'ing been a strict meml>cr of the 
M. E. Church since he was thirteen _\cars of 
age, and ha\ing ser\ed as steward, trustee, etc. 
lie is a member, and also a jiast grand, of the 
I. (). (). F., and is past master of the F. & 
.\. M. lodge. He has served four years as ad- 
jutant of Col. Geo. .\. Cobham Post, G. A. R. 



§AMES ROY, deceased, was during his 
lifetime considered one of the shrewdest 
business men in Warren County, Penn- 
sylvania. He was virtually a self-made man. 
who stood high in the estimation of his fellow 
men, and his death, which occurred in i88(), 
cast a gloom over the entire community. 

James Roy was born in Phelpstown, (Jn- 
tario County, N. Y., September 14, 1822. His 
grandfather. Cole Roy, came from Scotland in 
1788, and his father, Andrew Roy, was born in 
Scotland in 1785, settled in Phel])stown, N. 
Y.. in 1788. and engaged in farming. James 
Roy was ne.xt to the youngest in a famil\- of 
five, and the youngest of two sons. At the age 
of seven }-ears, his father died, and at the age 
of fourteen he moved to Elk township, War- 
ren County, and commenced an active busi- 
ness life in agricultural and lumbering pur- 
suits. In 185 1 he married Sophia Shattuck, 
daughter of William Shattuck, who w as orig- 
inally from Massachusetts, and later be- 
came prominent in Elk township. Seven 
children — five girls and two boys — were the 
residt of this union. Mrs. Ro_\- died in July, 
1867. In 1883 he discontinued to a great ex- 
tent his lumbering business, and devoted the 




FREDERICK C. TOCHTERMAN. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



377 



greater part of his time and energies to tlie 
production of oil, w liicli was found on his farm 
in Glade township. 

Mr. Roy was never a political aspirant, but 
accepted several township ofiices, and in 1880 
was elected a sounty commissioner, filling that 
position with great credit to himself and his 
friends. During his long and active life in the 
conmumity he was always identified with 
everything pertaining to the welfare and hap- 
piness of his friends and neighbors, and many 
of the improvements in Elk township are due 
to his indomitable courage and perseverance. 
It was no easy task to carve a fortune out of 
the forbidding soil of "Quaker Hill" as long 
ago as 1836, but the business tact and never 
tiring energy of IMr. Roy surmounted all ob- 
stacles, the characteristics of his early life con- 
tinuing to his later years and making him a 
successful hnnbcrman and oil producer. 




REDERICK C. TOCHTERAIAX, 
general manager of the Keystone 
Glue Manufacturing Co., Ltd., and 
one of the representative and most progres- 
sive citizens of Warren, Pa., was born in Wur- 
temberg, Germany, September 18, 1857. He 
comes of a family in which the inclination to 
manufacture glue seems to be hereditary. 
Tracing back the family history, his father, 
Frederick Tochterman, ascertained that his 
ancestors for 160 years had been engaged in 
the compounding and sale of the useful sub- 
stance. 

Frederick Tochterman was born in Stutt- 
gart. Wurtcmberg, Germany, and was edu- 
cated in the schools of his native town and in 



the Stuttgart University. .\s his father had 
done, he mastered the making of glue, and 
followed its manufacture as his business until 
his demi.se in 1873. ^^^- Tochterman came to 
the I'nited Slates in 1858, spent eight years in 
New York City, two years in Elizabeth, N. 
J., brief periods in Waverly, N. J., and New- 
ark, N. J., and finally removed to Railway, N. 
J., working in each place as a glue maker. In 
Railway he lost his life in a glue factory by 
the explosion of a steam boiler on June 16, 
1873, being fifty years of age. 'Sir. Tochter- 
man married Marie Roth, who was born in 
i8ji, and died in 1859. They reared two chil- 
dren, Frederick C. and Albert H. 

Our subject, Frederick C. Tochterman, was 
educated in the public schools of New Jersev, 
and New "^'ork City, and then learned his 
trade as a glue maker under the instruction of 
his father. The first position of importance 
he held was that of assistant manager and 
bookkeeper of the New Jersey Glue \\'orks 
at Newark, N. J., in which he remained from 
1875 to i88r, when he branched out for him- 
self as a broker in glue and general merchan- 
dise in New York City, having also an inter- 
est in a glue factory in Virginia. In 1886, he 
accepted a position as traveling salesman for 
the Alilligan & Higgins Glue Co., of New- 
York, and for si.x years he sold their product. 
In 1893 Mr. Tochterman was induced to \-isit 
Warren, Pa., to determine the desirability of 
starting a glue factory, and he received such 
substantial encouragement from the business 
men of the city, that the Keystone Glue Man- 
ufacturing Co. was organized, of which he has 
been a slockhoMer and general manager since 



378 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



its inception. So successfully has the business 
been conducted that the present annual out- 
put of the plant is 500.000 pounds of glue, and 
250,000 pounds of tallow, which is used in the 
manufacture of soap, and in other branches 
of the business. The factory, which was com- 
pleted in the fall of 1893, is most advantage- 
ously situated on the line of the Western New- 
York & Penn.sylvania Railroad, and also has 
close connections with the Pennsylvania, and 
tiie Dunkirk \- Allegheny X'alley roads. The 
glue matlc by this company is strictly pure, 
hide glue, which is acknowledged ti) be mucb 
l)etter in every essential than glue made from 
other stock. So greatly did the business of 
the company increase during the first winter 
the factory was operated, that additional ex- 
pert assistance was required, and Albert H. 
Tochterman, lirother of I'rederick C. came 
to Warren, and has since been foreman of the 
works, thus relieving the latter of much rou- 
tine work, and permitting him to devote his 
entire attention to the very successful manage- 
ment of the business. The magnitude of the 
business may be further appreciated from the 
fact that for several years a double force has 
been employed day and night. The present 
officers of the company are: C. D. Crandall, 
chairman: G. B. Ensworth. secretary and 
treasurer: and F. C. Tochterman. general 
manager. 

In 1882. i\Ir. Tochterman married Mary H. 
Brill of Newark. N. J-, and to them have been 
born three children: Alfred, Bessie and Cath- 
arine. Mr. Tochterman is a member of the 
Royal Arcanum. He also is a strong advocate 
of the principles of prohibition. Mr. and Mrs. 



Tochterman are members of the First AT. E. 
Church of Warren, Pa. Our subject's por- 
trait accom])anies this sketch, being shown on 
a preceding page. 



^Y ^^tlN' O'NEIL. a prominent oil pro- 
ducer and extensive furniture dealer of 
Nortii Clarendon, is one of the most 
progressive citizens of Warren County, Pa., 
and furnishes a splendid example of what a 
man may accomplish b\' well-directed energy 
and perseverance, together with a steadfast ad- 
herence to his purpose. Mr. O'Neil w-as born 
August 2, 1847, '" Liverpool, Perry County. 
Pa. His early years were passed in attending 
the public schools of his native place, and also 
in receiving a thorough training from his 
father, w ho was himself finely educated. John 
was obliged to recite all his lessons to his 
father when not able to attend school, and was 
encouraged and assisted by his parent in every 
way. By this method he learned rajsidly, antl 
the more he knew the greater became his de- 
sire for knowledge. But alas! when sixteen 
years old a heavy blow fell upon the family — 
the death of the belo\ed father; and John was 
forced to start out young to build a foundation 
for his future life. He left home at the age of 
se\enteen years and w ent westward, ostensibly 
to learn the occupation of bridge building. 
After working diligently for some time, by 
carefulness and strict econom_\' he had saved 
enough monev to enable him to enter college, 
which was his only desire, but before that 
hope w as realized he met with a double misfor- 
tune. While in southern Illinois he caught 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



379 



the smallpox and was ill a long time, but 
finally recovered, only to find that he had been 
robbed of all his savings. Thus his dream of 
going to college vanished, but he adhered 
more closely than ever to his purpose of se- 
curing a good education. He went home and 
finally succeeded in passing the examination, 
obtained a certificate, and taught school. He 
bought a copy of the Life of Lincoln, and also 
a copy of Todd's Student's ^^lanual, and stud- 
ied one hour each day while working at his 
trade. He laid up ten cents each day for fif- 
teen years, which he invested in the best books 
he could purchase, and. by studying them, 
stored his mind with useful knowledge. He 
followed teaching until March, 1882, in 
Dauphin and \\'arren counties. 

In 1882 he went to North Clarendon, where 
he accepted the position of measuring and 
computing the L'nion Oil Tanks, and re- 
mained at that work one year, when he me!: 
with a bad accident, which caused him to re- 
sign. 

Mr. O'Neil then returned to teaching, and 
taught ten terms at North Clarendon, one at 
Warren, and one in Cherry Grove townshiix 
In 1883 he became interested in the drilling of 
oil wells, and since then he has had an interest 
in seventy-two wells in Warren County, twelve 
in Ohio, and three in Kentucky, besides others 
of minor importance. In October, 1890, Mr. 
O'Neil purchased the Rhodaberger furniture 
store and conducted that business for about 
one year, when he sold out to M. Hamilton, 
who failed in 1893, upon which Mr. O'Neil 
took the business back again antl has con- 
ducted it ever since with marked success. He 



keeps a very large and well-assorted stock of 
furniture, and enjoys quite a large retail busi- 
ness. He built a tine residence on Main street 
in North Clarendon, which is occupied by him- 
self and family, and he is also owner of another 
large residence there. John O'Neil is a son of 
Sanuiel O'Neil and grandson of John O'Neil. 

John O'Neil, grandfather of the subject of 
this sketch, was born near Dublin, Ireland, 
and was of Scotch-Irish descent. He was ban- 
ished from Ireland during the religious rebel- 
lion in 1766. and found a refuge in America, 
"the land of the free and the home of the 
brave." He settled in the lower part of the 
Keystone State, and rendered distinguished 
service to our country during the Revolution- 
ary War, fighting under the illustrious Wash- 
ington at \'alley Forge, and at the battle of 
Brandywine. He was one of the very early 
settlers in Pennsylvania, and, so far as known, 
he followed the occupation of a farmer in 
Cumberland County. He bought 340 acres of 
land there, made many improvements upon 
it. and then sold it. The same farm is now- 
known as the Gilfillan farm. He then pur- 
chased 150 acres near the same location, and 
cleared and im])ro\e(l it. as he had the pre- 
\ious farm. The latter farm is now owned by 
Caleb Grubb. Mr. O'Neil died there at about 
eightv years of age: his wife lived to be about 
the same age. Their children were as follow's: 
Sarah: Robert: Samuel: John: and Margaret. 

Samuel O'Neil. father of our subject, was 
born upon his father's farm and received a 
very liberal education, principally by self-tui- 
tion, with the assistance of what books he 
could borrow and buv. He thus became verv 



380 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



liiglily educated for a man of his day. He also 
became the owner of the largest and best se- 
lected library in the townshi]). He took a 
great interest in the county schools, and 
served as school director for many years. He 
inherited his father's farm, and lived there all 
his days, dying at the age of iifty-nine years. 
In politics he was a stanch Democrat, and 
served as prothonotary of Perry County, Pa., 
and in other minor offices. His home was al- 
ways open to ministers of the (josjjel. of any 
denomination, and he was superintendent of 
the Sunday School for many years. He was 
twice married. His first wife, Matilda, left 
several children as a legacy to her husband. 
Their names are: Jeremiah; Margaret, wife of 
J. W. \\'ilt: Catherine, wife of Henry Meek: 
Theodore: David, who died at the age of six- 
teen years: Hiram: and Matilda, now de- 
ceased. His second wife was Isabella 
-Ann Lindsay, daughter of John Lind- 
say of Chester County, Pa. She died 
at the age of seventy-three years, hav- 
ing borne her husband six children: Sarah 
J., deceased, aged twenty-two years: John, 
subject of this sketch; Louisa, wife of W. Har- 
ter; William, a resident of Warren borough; 
Isabella Ann. deceased: and .\lniira, residing 
in Philadelphia. 

.Mice Martz. the acc()m])lishcd daughter of 
\\"illiam and Harriet Martz. of Lykens, 
Dau])hin County. Pa., became the wife of the 
subject of this biography, but they are denied 
children of their own. In politics Mr. O'Neil 
is independent. He has served in minor of- 
fices in the borough and as a meml)er of the 
school board, ever since he discontin- 



ued teaching. He is a member of the Masonic 
order, and Royal Arcanum; is ex-member of 
the order of I. O. O. F. and encampment, 
serving through all its ofifices. Mr. O'Neil 
and his estimable wife have been Presbyterians 
for sixteen years. The former has been teacher 
of a large class in the Sunday School of that 
denomination. 




|ICHARD MONROE DUNH.VM, a 
well-to-do and highly respected citizen 
of Sheffield. Warren County, Pa., 
was born in the township where he now re- 
sides, in 1850, and is a son of Richard Dun- 
ham, who was born at Rockstream, Yates 
County, New York, and was married to Laura 
Allen, a daughter of Enos Allen, also of Rock- 
stream, New York. After their marriage they 
moved to Warren County, Pennsyh-ania. and 
located at the present site of Garfield, Cherry 
Grove township — being among the pioneer 
settlers of that \icinity. Mr. Dunham was 
quite extensively engaged in farnnng and 
lum!)cring; this enterprise he carried on for a 
number of years, removing in the meantime 
from Cherry Gro\e township to Sheffield, 
Warren Count}- — where he continued in the 
lumber business the remainder of his days. He 
and his estimable wife were the parents of 
ele\'en children, two of whom died in infancy. 
The names of the others are as follows: Minor 
B.; Delila J.; Electa A.; Maria K.; Harlow F.; 
Laura Antoinette; .\urelia J.: Richard Mon- 
roe, subject of this sketch, and .\llen, who died 
in early manhood. Our subject's father died 
in 1870. while his mother sur\ivetl her bus- 




\V. I). KIXXKAR. 



THIRTY-SK\ENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



383 



hand twenty-one years — departing this Hfe in 
1891. 

Ricliard ^^onroc Dunham laid the founda- 
tion for his education in tlie ])uhlic schools of 
his native tow n, after whicli he attended Duff's 
Commercial College, at Pittshurg, and later 
the Lewishurg University in Union County, 
Penns}lvania. Ha\'ing completed his educa- 
tion he returned to his home in Sheffield, 
where his father induced him and his brother. 
Minor B., to associate themselves with him in 
the lumber business. This copartnership was 
successfully carried on until inteiTupted by the 
death of their father, after which the two sons 
assumed the business and continued it for 
many years. They Iniilt up a prosperous and 
flourishing trade, and w ere known far and near 
for their zeal, push and energy — qualities 
which will force the great wheel of prosperity 
to revolve, let the enterprise be what it may. 
They were large lumber merchants, and gath- 
ered a sufficient competency for their declin- 
ing years. 

The failing health of our subject caused him 
to resign from the firm in 1890 and discon- 
tinue an active life. Since his retirement from 
the hnnber business, he has, practicall.\-. led a 
retired life. He was united in matrimon\- with 
Flora A. Wright, a daughter of William and 
Elizabeth (W'intemute) Wright. Their home 
was l)lessed with si.x children, namely: Maud 
A., who died in 1887; Clara K.: May L.; Alice 
F.; Ro.scoe M.; and Allen W. They are very 
proud of their famil\'. and entertain great 
hopes for them, and their success in the battle 
of life. 

Mr. Duidiam owns a tine farm on the turn- 



pike between Sheffield and Warren, where he 

is spehding his declining years in the lap of 
luxury, and is surrounded by his interesting 
and happy family, lie built a large, comfort- 
able and convenient residence, and spacious 
barns on his farm, and takes great pleasure 
in improving and beautifying his place, in his 
political con\ictions. .Mr. Dunham fax'ors the 
Republican party. The family entertain broad 
and liberal \'iews on the subject of religion, 
supporting many denominations, and favor- 
ing none especially. 



W' 



KINNEAR, chief burgess of 
the borough of Youngsville, Pa., 
whose portrait is shown on the 
preceding page, is a gentleman of splendid 
business qualifications and executive ability, 
and is recognized as one of Warren County's 
foremost citizens: his popularity with his fel- 
low citizens is fairly attested, and his worth as 
a public servant clearly defined by his being 
elected chief burgess of the borough for the 
third time, in w hich official capacity he is now 
serving with scrupulous justice. 

In 1864 our subject embarked in the mer- 
cantile business at Youngsville, and. cxce])ting 
a period of fi\e years, during which time he 
was engaged in \-arious speculations, has re- 
mainetl in the same business ever since. He 
is ably assisted by his son, Frank D. Kinnear, 
a gentleman of rare attainments, and a man 
exceedingly popular with the people. They 
carry a large stock of general merchandise and 
siq)pl\' their many customers with first-class 



384 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



articles at moderate i)nces. Tlicir establish- 
ment is justly regarded as one of the best in 
Warren County: their business methods are 
regarded as among the best; this, coupled 
with i)leasant. courteous attentions to their 
customers, make it a real pleasure to ])atronize 
them. W. 1). Kinnear was born in Youngs- 
\ille. WarrL-n C'ount)-. Pa.. December 12. 
1S47, and is a son of judge C. \'. and Rachel 
Rebecca (D}kc) Kinnear. 

Judge C. \ . Kinnear, fath.er of our subject, 
was a man of much prominence. He was a 
nati\e of \'enang() County. Pennsylvania, and. 
at an earh' period in life, moved to Warren 
County, wliere he wasfor many years engaged 
as a merchant and lumber dealer, in which he 
was fortunate and successful, gathering into 
his coffers a large amount of this world's 
goods. He identified himself with all the in- 
dustries of Youngsville and. being a man of 
progressive ideas and recognized ability, his 
advice was frecpiently sought I)y his neighliors, 
who w'ere in many business ventures guided 
by his superior judgment. 

In ])olitics Judge Ivinnear was a Republican, 
and by that party was elected to fill many po- 
sitions of confidence and trust. He was first 
elected to the State Legislature for one term, 
which ])osition he filled in a thoroughly ca- 
p.'dilc manner, being careful. ])rudent and 
jiainslaking in all his legislative duties, in addi- 
tion to giving special attention to the wants 
and needs of his own district. He was next 
elected associate judge of Warren County for 
the full term of five years. In that responsible 
position he was governed liy the same exalted 
nioti\-es antl splendid judgment which had 



hitherto charactei"ized his career as a law- 
maker. Pre\ious to being elected judge he 
was elected justice of the peace for the bor- 
ough of "S'oungsville, and held that offlce 
through a i)eriod of thirty-two years. He 
wciglied his decisions in the scales of justice, 
and so precise and uniformly right were his 
rulings that appeals to higher courts were 
rarely taken. 

Judge Kimiear's remarkable career was 
closed In" his death, which occurred Septem- 
l)er 6, 1884, and his memory is still warmly 
cherished bv those who knew him best. In 
early manhood he was joined in the holy Ijonds 
of matrimony with Rachel Rebecca Dyke, and 
their union was blessed with two sons and one 
daughter. Francis D.. the eldest son. is now- 
deceased; Mary A., the only daughter, became 
the wife of W. J. Davis, and is also deceased; 
and W. D.. subject of this sketch, who is the 
youngest son and only surviving child. 

In his boyhood days our subject attended 
the public schools of his native town, after- 
ward passing through the State Normal 
School at Edinboro, Pa., completing his edu- 
cational career at Allegheny College, Mead- 
ville. Pa., having all the advantages of a su- 
perior education, which eminently cpialified 
him for a successful business life. In 1873 he 
deserted the state of single blessedness and 
became a "Benedict." being united in mar- 
riage with Jennie F. Smith, the aft'able daugh- 
ter of Channcey Smith of Youngsville. Their 
journey in life had scarcely begun when it was 
suddenly terminated by the death of Mrs. Kin- 
near. She left, as a legacy to her husband, 
one son. Frank 1).. ])reviously mentioned in 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



385 



this review as being associated in business 
with his father. Mrs. Kinnear's death occurred 
July 4, 1887, and licr many friends frequently 
review the lovable traits of her character, the 
jewels of an exemplary life. 

In 1885 Mr. Kinnear contracted a second 
matrimonial alliance: this lime with Flora F. 
Hofifins, a charming lady and daughter of 
Thomas Hofifins of Youngstown, Ohio. Three 
children brighten their lidine and add mirth 
and gayety to the family circle. They were 
named Orin \'.: Lucille; and Howard. Mr. 
and Mrs. Kinnear take a prominent part in 
both social and religious circles of Youngs- 
ville, being members of the Protestant Episco- 
])al Church, of which Mr. Kimiear has served 
as vestryman for a niunbcr of years. In his 
political views our subject is a stanch Repub- 
lican and zealously labors for the success of 
his party. He has served as justice of the peace 
for ten years, and also has been a member of 
the borough council. Socially, he is a member 
of the A. O. U. W. He has a commodious 
home, where his many friends receive a hearty 
welcome and are entertained in a royal man- 
ner. 



/^TToRGE FREDERICK \V.\TSON 
\^J is one of the most jirominent lumber- 
men in Western Pemisylvania. He is a mem- 
ber of the firm vi Collins, Watson & Co., at 
(jolinza, Green township, Forest County, Pa., 
and is manager of the extensive interests of 
that firm. He was born on Tionesta Creek, 
Forest County, in i84i_), and is a son of Fran- 
cis and Cordelia (Johnston) Watson. 

Francis \N atson was born in Titusville, Pa., 



in 181 1, when that place was a wilderness and 
he used to tell of the log houses standing in 
the city of Pittsburg, when he first went to 
that city. He had a tract of timber land and 
was in the lumber business all of his life, ship- 
ping rough lumber to Pittsburg and southern 
markets via the .Mlegheny River. His union 
with Cordelia Johnston resulted in the birth 
of five children, namely: George Frederick, 
the subject hereof: William: John: Harvey; 
and Rebecca (Downev). 

George Frederick Watson started in life 
with a very limited education, having attend- 
ed the district schools, whose terms were but 
four months in length. He adopted the lum- 
ber business as his life work, first entering the 
employ of H. Stowe, Esq., on the Allegheny 
River, and later served as a pilot for Thomas 
Selders, taking important rafts down the river 
every spring for a period of twenty years. 
When thirty years of age he accepted a con- 
tract to stock the Wheeler and Dusenberry 
ir.ill and his first experience with Mr. X. P. 
Wheeler was when they were both young 
men; they took charge of the front end of a 
raft, which is (|uite a difficult undertaking for 
men so young in _\ears. Later, in partnershiji 
with a Mr. Root, he inn"chaset! a steam cir- 
cular-saw mill, which was later replaced by 
another of the same pattern which had a ca- 
pacity of 25,000 feet per day. Thev manu- 
factinxd pine boards from timber taken from 
2,000 acres which they owned at the time and 
shipped the boards to Pittsburg via the river. 
They later bought a tract of i.ooo acres and 
built a mill on Hickory Creek, but froiu there 
shippetl their product on the railroad. When 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



tlie timber wn tliat land was exhausted they 
bought anotlier tract in connection with 
T. D. Collins on Little Coon and built a steam 
circular mill. In 1890 they bought the tract 
on which they are now located, consisting of 
7.000 acres and formerly owned b_\' the firm of 
Ford & Lacy. They erected a band mill and 
started what is now probably the best 
ecjuipped saw mill in the state or throughout 
the East. They own the town of (iolinza. in- 
cluding the houses, stores, water works, tire 
department and church. Since pmx-hasing 
the store they have greatl\- improxed it. The 
mill is equipped throughout with nothing Init 
modern machinery and the rapidity with 
which the work is done is astonishing. They 
have a steam nigger, which appears to handle 
the inunense logs with almost human intelli- 
gence: a steam log turner and an automatic 
feeder. There are three 60-horse-power 
boilers, several engines and a steam hog, or 
fuel-grinder, which grinds all waste lumber 
int® fuel. The larger slabs, however, are made 
into laths, making four laths at a time. They 
manufacture <'dl sizes of lunil)er u]) to sixtv 
feet, and they carry on hand four million feet 
of lumber at all times. They manufacture 
some of the finest hardwood lumber in the 
country, their chestnut being particularly 
line. For a stretch of one mile are large piles 
of red oak, white oak. maple, ash and chest- 
nut lumber of a quality hard to duplicate. 
This wood is manufactured only during the 
winter months. They have several overhead 
railroads for packing lumber, and these are 
ecjuijiped with trains. There are fourteen 
miles of standard-gauge railroad, over which 



the company runs its own locoinotixes and 
cars. All the l)oards manufactured by this firm 
are surfaced on one side. They have their 
own repair shops, locomotives and coal sheds, 
a very complete shingle mill and a planing 
mill with a capacity of 35,000 feet ])er day. 
The capacity of the mill is 50,000 feet per day 
and of the lath mill 15.000 per day. The town 
of (jolinza depends entirely u])on the com- 
]iaiiy for its support, they luwing built the 
water works and reservoir, and the store be- 
ing conducted for the benefit of the employees. 
There is also a boarding house for the accom- 
modation of the single men employed. The 
firm also exert a deep moral influence over 
their men and have erected for them a house 
of worship. This mammoth plant is under the 
control of the subject of this sketch and the 
prosperity which it has met is ample evidence 
of the fact that he is the right man in the 
right place. He was one of the organizers of, 
and is a stockholder and director in, the Citi- 
zens" National Bank of Tionesta; he also owns 
interests in the oil fields and has consideral)le 
farm property. 

Mr. Watson was united in marriage with 
Anna D. Root, who was born and educated 
in I'orest Count}', and they lia\'c reared five 
children: Harry, who, after leaving the dis- 
trict schools, completed a course in the Ran- 
dolph Academy and Dufi's P.usiness College: 
May, who attended the public schools and 
finished her education at Kandoliih Academy; 
Vernon, a graduate of Randolph Academy; 
Cora M.; and Georgiana. Politically, Mr. 
Watson is a strong Prohibitionist, and at one 
time was a cantlidate for the State Lesfisla- 




HON. WILLIAM HAMILTON SllORIT. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



389 



ture; he ran far ahead of his ticket, but was de- 
feated hy a narrow margin. He lias held most 
of the townshij) oflices. Religiously, he is a 
member and trustee of the ^Methodist Episco- 
pal Church. He is a member of the Odd Fel- 
lows. 




"ON. WILLIAM HAMILTON 
SHORTT. Social an<l political posi- 
tion in the United States is not de- 
pendent, as in the Old World monarchies, on 
titles or on long lines of famil\- ancestors, but 
is rather l)ased on a man's own achievements. 
If a person has estimable qualities he is well 
thought of, and honored accordingly. A self- 
made man, one who owes his success to his 
own individual efforts, is the type of man of 
whom we Americans are pardonably proud, 
perhaps because his pressing forward against 
adverse circumstances and a com]iarati\ely 
humble beginning u]i to success and honor so 
nearly resembles the life of our own nation. 
Among the brilliant number of self-made men, 
of whom Warren Count v boasts, due mention 
must be made of the subject of this sketch, 
Hon. William Hamilton Shortt, a retired gen- 
tleman of YoungsxTlle. who possesses an ex- 
cellent record, rareh' excelled in ;ill its condi- 
tions. 

Our sul)ject was born in numfriesshire. 
Scotland, June 23, i8_'_'. 1 le is a son of Rob- 
ert anil Agnes (Sanilers) Shortt. The family 
came to the L'nited States in 1H32 and located 
in Warren County, Pa., where Mr. .Shortt 
foimd emi)loyment as a stone-cutter and con- 
tracttjr for many }-ears. finally ])assing awav 



in June, 1857, at the age of seventy-one years. 
Mrs. Shortt descended from an (jld and distin- 
guished Scotch family, and survived her hus- 
band twenty-one years, reaching the very ad- 
vanced age of ninety-three years; she died in 
1878. 

Hon. William 11. Shortt received his early 
education in Scotland, which was continued 
under private tutors in Warren CoiuUy, I 'a. 
He early aciphred the habit of reading the Ijcst 
authors, and in that way obtained a large fund 
of general information, which has served him 
well in the v.irious positions he has tilled so 
creditabl}-. In _\outh he learned the tailoring 
trade in Warren, and became a merchant in 
Youngsville in 184(1, continuing in that busi- 
ness until 1 87 J. when he was elected a member 
of the Pennsylvania Legislature. ami re-elected 
to the same position in 1873. During his sec- 
ond term of service, without any solicitation 
on his part, he was appointed b_\- President 
Grant, through Simon Cameron, consid to 
Cardiff, Wales. He at once assumed the du- 
ties of his new position, coiuinuing the same 
until 1876, when he resigned and returned to 
the L'nited States on account of the delicate 
health of Mrs. Shortt. Before his departure 
from Wales our subject received from the 
ma^■or and leading citizens oi C.ardilY a most 
flattering testimonial of their regard and m.inv 
expressions of regret at his dep.arture. 

In 1877, the \ear after his return to Amer- 
ica, Mr. Shortt ojiened a bank in Sugar (irove. 
Warren Countv. which he conducted with 
marked success until 1898, when his son suc- 
ceeded him in tlie business. Mr. Shortt was 
one of the organizers of the \\ arren Sa\'ings 



390 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Bank, lieiiig also one of its orii^inal stockhold- 
ers. Excepting; the time and attention re- 
quired in looking^ after his numerous invest- 
ments he is now livins;- in retirement. He has 
always taken an active interest in i)olitics. be- 
ing an earnest Republican. His interest in 
the educational work of his county has also 
been very deep, and he has frequently served 
as a member of the school board. 

On July 7, 1844. Mr. Shortt was joined in 
wedlock with Emeline Davis, a favorite 
daughter of William and Mary Davis. ^Irs. 
Shortt was born in Youngsville, Pa., May 2", 
1825. Their home was blessed with eight chil- 
dren, namely: Mary .\.. born June J^. 1845: 
Agnes, deceased, born ()ctoi)er 7, 1847: 
Charles M.. born March 10, 1850; James \V., 
decea.sed, born May i. 1853: Emma, born 
September 19, 1855; Ida. born December 15. 
1857; Nettie, deceased, born June jo, 1862; 
Mattie. born August 6, 1864. Mattie, the 
youngest child, is a fine artist, and became the 
wife of Prof. W. W. Pell of Derry, Pa. 

Mr. Shortt has also served the interests of 
the Re]niblican party as justice of the peace 
and county auditor. He is (piiet and reserved 
in his ways, as is natural to a man of his su- 
perior mental attainments. ( )f keen literary 
sense and excellent memory, he can repeat 
many of the finest passages from the works of 
the best authors. He has realized fully the 
many responsibilities which have rested upon 
his shouUlers, and has performed the varied 
duties which fell to his lot with ready tact and 
sound judgment. Therefore it is fitting that 
Mr. Shortt should be included among the dis- 
trict's most representati\e citizens, and it is 



with pleasure that we announce that his por- 
trait a])pcars on a preceding page. 



§.\M ES C. P.VRKER is one of the good 
citizens of Tiona. Mead township. Pa., 
whom all look upon with respect. The 
duties which have fallen to his lot have been 
in e\ery case performed with a cheerfulness 
and steadiness of purpose that have made him 
what he is, general foreman of the South 
Penn (^il Comi^any for the Warren dis- 
trict, which is practically known as the 
Tiona fields. Mr. Parker has occupied this 
position of trust since 1891 and has charge of 
575 wells. The foremanship is one of the most 
important ones in that district, and Mr. Par- 
ker is fully qualified to fill it or any similar 
position in a capable manner. He was born 
at Dunham IHats. Canada. September 24. 
1852. He is a son of Edgar W. Parker, and 
grandson of William Parker. 

William Parker was born near Bennington, 
\'ermont. The name of his father is not posi- 
ti\ ely known, but he came from Ireland and 
settled in the Green Mountain State. When 
grown to manhood William learned the mil- 
ler's trade and moved to Sandy Creek, X. Y.. 
afterwards going West, to Illinois, where he 
died in his sixty-fifth year. He married a Miss 
Wilkins. who gave her life for an infant .son, 
Etlgar W., father of the subject of this sketch. 
She was twenty-one years of age at the time 
of her death. As William Parker married 
three times after the death of his first w ife and 
went westward, little was known of him by 
his st)n Edi-ar, w ho was born at Eairview, \'er- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



391 



mont, November 19, 1824, and grew to man- 
hood witliout llic fond care of a iiiotluT. lie 
obtained a \cry fair cchicatioii in ihe ])ublic 
scliools, after which lie learned the trade of a 
wheelwright, serving a fnll a|)i)renticeship. 
After mastering- that trade he went to Dun- 
ham I'dats, Canada, near Slab C'it\, to work 
at his chosen occupation, and there met .and 
wooed Maria B. Clark, who was born in Ire- 
land. After a brief courtshi]) they were mar- 
ried, and she was a lo\'ing and hel])fnl com 
panion to her husband until her death, which 
occurred at the age of sixty-ii\e years. Their 
children were: Lucy; Alary J.; William; 
James C, subject of this sketch; Ida; Hem-y; 
and Sarah. 

About a _\-ear after his marriage Ivlgar W. 
settled at Cambridge, \'ermont, where he fol- 
lowed farming one year and then removed to 
Sandy Creek, X. \'., and wc irked at his trade, 
lie was next located in Olean, X. ^'., in the 
capacity of a shingle manufacturer. In 1862 
he went to ( )il Creek, Tar Farm, Venango 
County, Pa., where he drilled an oil well, 
and followed that occujiation until 1873. 
After this he spent four years in W'estlield, X. 
\ ., engaged in agricultural pursuits; but the 
oil fields had a fascination for him, so he sold 
his farm and returned to the oil lields, being 
located at the following jdaces: ( )leau. X. \'.; 
ILarnum; liolixar; ()lean again; then b^inlev, 
Ohio. In iS()i he went to Tiona, Warren 
Countx', I'a., where he has remained ever 
since. In s]ieaking of his '"ujis and downs" in 
the oil business, he remarked that man)- of his 
l)est efforts were crowned with success, while 
others resulted in Iiea\\- k)sses. At his ad- 



vanced age he enjoys splendid health, and 

physically is a welbpreserxed man. lie is es- 
teemed by all. lie now has charge of the 
inimping department under his son, and is alscj 
a resident of Tiona. 

James C. Parker started out on his hrst busi- 
ness xcntnre at Tar b^arm. \'enango C'ounty, 
I'a., as a i)uniper of an oil station; later he 
performed similar work for Bradly & Co., 
and was lin.'dly given a superintendency in 
Clarion Count)-. After leasing there he was 
foreman for twel\-e years at llarnnm. X. ^^, 
for the Oak Shade Comjiany. w ho sold out to 
the Forest Oil (\). He then resigned to ac- 
cept a similar ]iosition with Thyng & Conklin 
of Olean, X\ Y., I)ut was induced to return to 
his former place, and remained with that com- 
pany until 1891, when he accepted his i)rcsent 
lucrative and res]3onsible ]iosition at Tiona, 
Warren County, Pa. James C. Parker sought 
for his life companion Annie Dfirrian, an ac- 
complished daughter of William and Mary 
(Gordon) Dorrian. 

William Dorrian was born in County Down, 
Ireland, and niai-ried there, coming to Amer- 
ica in 1844, ;m<l settling on Prince F.dward 
Island, Canada, where he followed the occu- 
pation of a farmer. From there he went to 
Lockport, ill., after which he located success- 
ively at the following |)laces: Trumansburg. 
X. v.; Triumph. Warren Count)'. Pa.; ilar- 
num, N. Y.; Haymaker, McKean County, Pa , 
where he resided as a retired farmer until his 
death. April 17. 1899. aged nearly eighty-one 
years. 

His union with .\nnie Dorrian resulted in 
the following children: Maggie; Elizabeth; 



392 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Ella; Mary; Sophia; Annie, wife of our sub- 
ject; Charles; Jolin, and Minnie. 

Our subject and his aniialile wife were 
blessed with a family of six children, namely: 
Earl F. W.; Lucy M.; P.essie D.; Jacie, de- 
ceased; Edi^ar W'.: and Mildred M. Mr. 
Parker is a stanch Republican, and has held 
minor offices in the to.wnshi]:). He and his 
wife are dcxout members of the Episcopal 
Church. Sociall)' he is a member and j^ast 
commander of the Knights of The Maccaliees 
of 'Fiona, and also a member of the T. < ). ( ). F. 
He is a man of jileasing" address and frank 
disposition and has made many warm friends 
since comino- to Warren Counts'. 




kOP.ERT N. ^L\RSHALL. No man 
Barnett township. Forest Count}', is 
deser\ing- of more praise than Rob- 
ert N. Marshall, merchant and lumberman at 
Redclyffe, I'a. It is a jileasurc for us to give 
our readers an opportunity to learn of the life 
of one who has led such a successful career, 
although :it times beset with dilhcultics and 
ob.stacles .seemingly almost insurmountable. 
While Mr. Marshall has not been a public 
man. there is not one of his acquaintances, and 
he counts them bv hundreds, who has not a 
good word to say for him. 

Robert X. Marshall is a native of Arm- 
strong County, where his birth occurred Sep- 
tember 25, if^sy. He started in life by re- 
ceiving a common-school education, taking 
a finishing course in the academy at Dayton. 
At an early ])eriod it was his ambition to be- 
come a physician; accordingly, after a pre- 



liminary course of study, he entered Jefferson 
Medical College, at Philadelphia, remaining" 
one and a half years. But the following spring 
his health failed, and he was obliged to aban- 
don all hoi)es of ever becoming a physician. 
Thus the public lost one who would never 
ha\'e been satisfied until reaching the topmost 
pinnacle in that noble profession. Mr. Mar- 
shall then went to Tennessee and engaged in 
the drug business at Dandridge — suljsecjuent- 
ly returning home. He then took a trip to the 
far West, visiting points of interest in Kansas 
and Colorado. At the latter place he fell ill, 
and, after a long attack of tyi>h(iiil fever, from 
which he finally recovered, he returned home 
in the fall of 1884, 

The following fall he, in company with T. 
H. Marshall. Josiah Work and L. X. Putney, 
organized the Majile Creek Lumber Com- 
pany, flieii first purchase was 2,200 acres of 
land, ui)on which they erected two saw mills, 
with a daily cajiacity of about 50,000 feet of 
lumber. The company consisted of T. H. 
Marshall and sons, Josiah Work, and Nathan 
Crossman and son. They ne.xt added 700 
acres to the tract, and so on until they became 
owners of 3.000 acres of the best timber land 
in that section. This is now partly cleared, 
and all "slashed." For many years this com- 
pan\- did a vast amount of business, but in 
1895, ''>■ iiiiitual consent of all concernetl, the 
company was dissolved, each of the three l)uy- 
ing an interest. The business is now con- 
ducted under the firm name of T. H. Marshall 
& Sons. The large general store owned by 
the !^Ia])le Creek Lumber Comjiany was man- 
aged entirely by the subject hereof, and con- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JITDICIAL DISTRICT 



393 



tains a complete line of everything that makes 
a general store so useful to the community. 

All has not been ]ilain sailing with Mr. 
IMarshall, who has been called upon to suffer 
his share of loss; on May 20, 1891, this store 
and all its contents were destroyed by fire, 
with a loss of over $8,000, but out of the 
ruins arose a new store, finer and better 
stocked, and w hen the company was dissolved 
this store was taken by the Marshalls. 

The}' are considered among the I)est and 
heaviest land owners in Forest County, own- 
ing in all about 1,000 acres, mostly cleared. 
It is only a matter of a few years until the 
woods will all be remo\-ed from that vicinity, 
and the Ijroad Marshall acres will be placed 
upon the market and converted into fine, pro- 
ductive farms, splendidly located and contain- 
ing rich, alluvial soil. The subject hereof is 
a son of Thomas H. and Rosetta (Neal) Mar- 
shall, and grandson of Robert and Mary 
(Hindman) Marshall. 

Ivobert Marshall, grandfather of Robert N.. 
lived in Armstrong County, where he owned 
a large amount of land. He also owned and 
conducted a general merchandise store at 
Dayton, and was a ver\- prominent man. He 
used his influence in fa\or of the Republican 
party, and held many township oftices. In 
religious matters he was first a Presbyterian, 
but later joined the United Presb\terian 
Church. He was married to Mary Hindman, 
who proved to be a most excellent companion. 
She died many years prior to the death of her 
husband, which occurred in 1879, having 
reared a family of eight children. They are 
as follows: \\'illiam; Thomas H., I-iobert X.'s 



father; Jonathan, now deceased; Catherine, 
who became the wife of Wilson Marshall — 
both being now deceased; Caroline, widow of 
William Sloan, who resides in .Atwood, Arm- 
strong County; Emiline, who resides in Day- 
ton, Armstrong County; Mary, wife of David 
Lawsou of Dayton; and Rebecca, widow of 
Rev. C. Reed, who resides in Beaver, Beaver 
County, Pa. 

Thomas H. Marshall, father of the subject 
of this sketch, spent his childhood at home 
and received his scholastic training in the pub- 
lic schools. On March 4, 1850, he was united 
in marriage with Miss Rosetta Neal, a daugh- 
ter of Robert Neal. Soon after his marriage 
Thomas H. Marshall entered into a partner- 
sliij) with his father, and his brother, William, 
and embarked in the mercantile business — 
remaining in that line for eleven years. At the 
end of that time John Campbell was admitted 
as a partner, with a half interest in the con- 
cern. Mr. Campbell at once took the active 
management of the store, which he conducted 
very successfully for twenty-two years, when 
he was cut off by death. Thomas H. Marshall, 
after leaving the store, bought a farm from his 
father, and to this he added until he owned 
500 acres in that vicinity. Besides this he 
also owned valuable timberland in Indiana 
County, Pa. Previous to 1885 his time had 
been taken up by his various mercantile inter- 
ests, but in that year he went to Redclyft'e, 
Forest County, Pa., and assisted in organiz- 
ing the ]Maple Creek Lumber Company, 
which operated in Forest County, with head- 
(|uarters at Redclyft'e. At that time this was 
the largest lumber company in that section, 



394 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



and great credit is due to Mr. Marsliall for 
the success of its \cntures. 

'riioinas II. Marshall has always been an 
active man. and, although possessed of but a 
limited etlucation, he lias won his way to the 
to]) by the exercise of that perseverance which 
cbaraclerizes the whole family. While in Day- 
ton he was interested in the Soldiers' ( )ri)han 
School at that ])lace, and ser\ed as treasiu'er 
until its close. This school was started in 
1865, and was a splendid institution. In that 
capacity lie handled about $30,000 per year, 
and in addition to other duties he furnished 
all the meat to the 200 inmates of the school. 
He is now living in Dayton, but sjiends a 
great portion of his time with the subject of 
this sketch. Although he is on the declining 
side of life, he is still active, and is a most 
])Ieasant gentleman, h'ive chiKlren were liorn 
to him and his worthy wife, namely: Silas W'., 
a farmer in .\rmstrong Count\'; David D., 
who conducts a flouring mill at Da_\ton, I^a.; 
Robert N., the subject of this sketch; Clark 
W., a United Presbyterian minister in West- 
moreland County. I'a.: and Mary S., wife of 
]''.lmer Cood. — the_\- reside in Sacramento, 
Nebraska, where Mr. Good carries on farm- 
ing. 

On September 17. 1S89. our subject was 
joined in marriage with .Miss Marv 1'. Mar- 
shall, an accomplished daughter of Robert 
and Rose Ann (Nelson) Marshall of Alle- 
gheny County. Pa. Pom- chiklren have been 
born to them, as follows: Robert Clark; 
Thomas Neal; Annie Marie; and Martha Ro- 
setta. now deceased. In his political convic- 
tions Mr. Marshall follows the leadership of 



the Republican ]5arty. and. although he has 
served as school director, his business pre- 
\ents his accejitance of an_\- other office. He 
is a friend of good order and system, and 
contributes more tlian his portion towards the 
progress of his connnunilv, moralK'. socialK', 
.■md intellectuallv. 



CORY C. JHiATIT, of the lirm oi 
Heath & Killmcr. influential and 
prosperous druggists of Tionesta, 
Forest County, Pennsylvania, is a popular 
young business man. full of energy and acti\ity. 
shrewd, upright and exact in his business re- 
lations. Mr. Heath began the drug business 
in September, 1895, as a clerk for Siggins (."t 
Herman. One }ear later, in company with 
Mr. Killmer. he i)urchased the store, stock and 
trade of his employers and has since built up a 
splendid business in that line. The firm has 
the reputation of handling only jnire drugs 
and makes a specialty of filling prescriptions; 
in addition to this they carry in stock a fine 
assortment of fanc\- toilet articles, perfumes, 
stationery, etc. Mr. Heath was born in I\ich- 
mond Center, Ashtal)ula County, Ohio, Sep- 
tend)er 12, 1866. He is a son of James and 
Sarah Elizabeth (Mulkin) Heath, and grand- 
son of Ezra Heath. 

Ezra Heath was a native of rully. .Mass., 
and moved from that place to .Xshiabula 
County, Ohio, in 1837. The county at lliat 
time was new and undeveloped, and his fam- 
ily was subjected to the privations and hard- 
ships incident to the life of a pioneer. He and 
his good wife reared a famiK" of elcxen chil- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



395 



dren, five sons and six daugliters, all of whom 
grew to manhood and womanhood and mar- 
ried and reared families of their own. One 
of these sons, Albert Heath, is still residing 
at Andover, Ohio, at the advanced age of 
ninety-one years, while another. William 
Heath, is still an active merchant of Rich- 
mond Center, Ohio, and is an octogenarian. 

James Heath, father of our sulijcct, and 
youngest son of the family, was born in New 
York State in 1830, and accompanied his par- 
ents to Ashtabula County, Ohio, in 1837, be- 
ing reared and educated there. I fc was joined 
in wedlock with Sarah Elizabeth Mulkin. She 
bore her husband six children, three sons and 
three daughters. One son died in infancy; 
another, Eugene, was called away from his 
earthly home at the age of twelve years; Kory 
C, the subject hereof, was the only son who 
grew to manhood; Ida E. became the wife of 
William H. Cook of Ensley Centre, Mich.; 
Edith .\lthea married Henry Saltsgiver of 
Kent County, Michigan; and Carrie Lillian 
wedded George \V. Holman of Tionesta, Pa. 
The elder Mr. Heath was a farmer liy occupa- 
tion and enjoyed gathering the grain and 
binding the sheaf. In 1868 he mourned the 
loss of his first wife, which sad event occurred 
when our subject was only two and a half years 
old; some time after Mr. Heath contracted a 
second matrimonial alliance. He laid down 
the burden of life in 1885, at Richmond Cen- 
ter. Ohio, and is survived by his widow, who 
resides in Andover, Ohio. 

Kory C. Heath was reareil a farmer's boy, 
and after finishing the studies pursued in the 
district school he attended the (jrand River 



Institute, Ohio. While pursuing his studies 
there he was called home i)y the illness of his 
father, which resulted in the latter's death. 
This cut Mr. Heath's college career short, as 
after his father's death it fell to his lot to take 
charge of the farm, which he did for one year. 
Earming, however, was not congenial to his 
taste, and so he left the farm at the age of 
twenty and bought and shipi)ed cattle and 
sheep for one year; then he spent One year 
as a driver on the race tracks. In 1889 he 
went to Tionesta, Forest County, Pennsyl- 
vania, and engaged in the lumber business, 
working in the woods near Oil City, where 
he had an experience of roughing it with the 
ax and cross-cut saw. \\'ith the former he was 
a failure, but could manage to hold u\) his end 
of the cross-cut saw with success. After spend- 
ing two seasons lumbering, — being in part- 
nership with his brother-in-law the latter vear. 
— he engaged in the butchering trade in Tio- 
nesta for three years, having a partner a por 
tion of that time. He then entered the drug 
business, and at last has found an occupation 
congenial to him and befitting his ability. 

Allie Giering, a bright-eyed and entertain- 
ing daughter of Jacob Giering. a respected cit- 
izen of Pleasantville, Pa., became the wife of 
our subject, and shares his joys and sorrows. 
Their nuptials were celebrated April 26. 1897. 
They have one child, Winifred N'ioris, born 
August 17, 1898. In his political bearing Mr. 
Heath adheres to the Republican standard, 
and his popularity is fairly attested by the fact 
that he was elected burgess of Tionesta in 
1896 for a term of four years, the duties of 
which position he is fulfilling with credit to 



396 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



himself and satisfaction to the pubHc. He is 
a mem1)er of the I. O. O. F.. aiid lias jjassed 
the chairs to the strand lo(ls;c. < )n the subject 
of religion he entertains broad and liberal 
ideas which gather in a wide range of thonght. 
Mrs. 1 Icath is an active member of the Presby- 
terian Church. Soon after his marriage our 
subject built his present handsome residence 
on William street, in Tionesta. and in this 
charming home he and his estimalile wife en- 
tertain their numerous friends, 'idic lirm of 
which our sul)ject is a member does a large 
and profitable business, and it is conjectured 
by those who obser\-e things most closely that 
it will soon be the leading drug store in Forest 
County. 




OTTO JOHNSON is a prominent 
'. and esteemed merchant-tailor of Shef- 
field. Sheffield township, Warren 
Count)', Pa. Mr. Johnson has been a business 
man of Sheflield since 1S171, when he estab- 
lished his present tr;ide. I'"rom the beginning 
he has enjoyed the reputalicju of doing first- 
class work and gi\ing thorough satisfaction to 
his customers — keeping on hand, at all times, 
a fine line of the latest patterns, which he makes 
to order with superior workmanship. In addi- 
tion to making dress suits, business suits, over- 
coats, trousers, etc., Mr. Johnson has a repair 
shoj) — a department used exclusi\ely for reno- 
\'ating. cleansing, pressing and general repair 
work. i*"roin a modest liegiuning he has budt 
up his business gradually until he is now 
oliliged to keej) in his emjjloy two skilled jour- 
neymen. He enjoys a large patronage not 
only in Sheffield and vicinity, but has cpnte a 



number of regular customers in the surround- 
ing towns and cities, extending as far east as 
Kane, and as far west as Erie. 

Mr. Johnson is a type of that class of men 
who ha\e risen by their own efforts; tliis class 
is a result of condilit)ns |)eculiar to the L'nited 
States, and worthy members of it rarely fail to 
excite the admiration t)f their fellow-citizens. 
The x'outh in the humblest walks of life, by 
honesty, courage, perseverance and a strong 
will, may rise to the highest and most exalted 
position in his business or professional life. 

Mr. Johnson has made himself what lie is by 
his own thrift and energy, and has wc^n 
the confidence and esteem of the pub- 
lic in general. He was born in Hal- 
land. Sweden, in 1860, and at the age of 
twenty-seven years he left his native land 
and crossed the ocean to seek a home in Amer- 
ica. He located at Sheffield, Warren County, 
Pa., where he worked as a journeyman tailor. 
following this avocation three and one-half 
years, in the employ of Gus Johnson. In 1891 
the business concern of which he is proprietor 
was established, and has had, since that time, a 
marked degree of prosperity. 

Mr. Johnson's father was born in Sweden, 
in 1841, and when he came to America, first 
located in Philadelphia, where he obtained em- 
ployment as a journeyman tailor. After fol- 
lowing that occupation in various places, he 
estal)lished a merchant-tailoring business in 
Chicago, 111., where he continued in business 
until the time of his death, which occurred in 
1886. He was the father of four children, who 
came to the United States and found homes in 
different sections thereof. 




HON. HKNRN' CLAN HUNTING lUN. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



399 



Carrie Lawson, also a native of Halland, 
Sweden, and a daughter of Lars Lawson, was 
married to N. Otto Johnson, and their union 
was proHfic of nine children, as follows: Os- 
car; Tura; Carl; Frank; Axel; Emma; David; 
Esther; and Andrew. Mr. Johnson is a Chris- 
tian gentleman, and a \'alued member of the 
Lutheran Church. Socially he is connected 
with the S. B. of .\. order. 




ON. HENRY CLAY HUNTING- 
TON, one of the best known oil pro- 
ducers of W'eldbank, \\^arren 
County, Pa., whose portrait accompanies this 
sketch, was born in Perrysburg, Ohio, in 1840. 
He is a son of Elijah Huntington, grandson of 
Samuel Huntington, and great-grandson of 
Samuel Huntington, who was l)orn in Eng- 
land and imnu'grated to .\nierica, settling in 
the New England States. The last named pio- 
neer at once became identified with the wel- 
fare and interests of the colonies, and when 
the blow for freedom was struck he, along 
with Hancock, Jefiferson and other distin- 
guished patriots, came boldly forward and 
signed that august and memorable document, 
the Declaration of Independence, signifying 
his willingness to lay his life, his fortune, and 
his sacred honor at the altar of his newly- 
adopted country. 

Samuel Huntington, grandfather of our 
subject, settled in Brattleboro, \'ermont, 
where his son Elijah was born. 

Elijah Huntington was splendidly educated, 
studied law and was admitted to the bar in 
Columbus, Ohio. Although he followed his 



profession and was a successful lawyer in the 
Ohio courts, he spent much of his time specu- 
lating in land in Ohio and Minnesota. He 
died in 1852 at the age of sixty-five years. 
Susan Gordon became his wife and lived to be 
about fifty years of age. They were the par- 
ents of eleven children, our subject being the 
only one now living. His brothers and sisters 
who grew to manhood and womanhood were: 
Sarah, who luarried Prof. Olney of Ann Ar- 
bor, Mich.; Celia, who never married; Laura, 
also single; ]Vlary, wife of F. A. Hine; Henry 
Clay, subject of this sketch; Alden, single; 
Judson, also single; the other four died when 
young. 

Hon. Henry Clay Huntington was edu- 
cated in the public schools of his native town, 
after which he learned the printer's trade. In 
1 86 1 he enlisted in the Union Army, in Com- 
pany C, 2 1 St Reg.. O. V. I., was promoted to 
the rank of sergeant, and served two years, 
fighting through many hard skirmishes. Re- 
ceiving an honorable discharge from army ser- 
vice, he went to Kalamazoo, Mich., purchased 
a job printing office, and carried on business 
for about two years, then sold out and was 
employed one year in the office of the pro- 
vost marshal, after which he went on a pros- 
pecting tour through Kentucky and Ohio, vis- 
iting Cincinnati, Cleveland, Titusville, and 
finally stopped at Pit Hole, Pa., and went into 
oil speculations. Since that time he has been 
interested in oil production in the following 
places: Pit Hole, Pleasantville, Oil City, But- 
ler, Clarion, and Bradford. 

In 1881 he settled in North Clarendon, dur- 
ing the first oil excitement there. Besides his 



400 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



extensive oil interests he l)uilt a large store 
and residence where Harrison's store now is, 
and handled hardware and oil sni)i)lies. In 
1S87 his premises were conipletcl}' destroyed 
hy fire; in this calamity he snlTercd the loss 
of his fine home, his entire stock of hardware, 
honschold goods and his elegant lilirarv. That 
fall he huilt a handsome residence at \\'eld- 
hank, where he now resides, purchasing twelve 
acres of land, on which are four good pro- 
ducing oil wells: he also owns two more oil 
wells near hy. In 7894 this handsome resi- 
dence burned, entailing considerable loss, but 
he innncdiately rebuilt on the same site, and 
now has the finest residence between Warren 
and Sheffield; it is of the most modern de- 
sign and is the embodiment of elegance and 
convenience. 

He was united in marriage with Clementine 
F. Mudge, an accomplished daughter of Si- 
mon Mudge, of Philadelphia. One son, Wil- 
liam, Idessed this union; he was confidential 
clerk to John Eaton of Pittsburg; he died at 
the early age of twenty-five years. Our sub- 
ject is a stanch Repuldican and has served as 
associate judge of \\'arren Count v, being 
elected to that office by a very large majority, 
and it is not necessary to add that he filled the 
judicial chair with honor and distinction dur- 
ing his term of office. He has also served in 
minor offices, as school director and township 
commissioner. While in Oil City he served as 
aid-de-cani]) to J. C. Robinson. Socially he 
is a member of the Royal Arcanum and a 
member of the F. & A. M. lodge of Kalama- 
zoo, Mich. Judge Huntington was reared a 
Baptist and his wife is an Episcopalian. 



"s^OHN C. GEIST, the popular bookkeep- 
er for the Forest Tannery at Brookston, 
Pa., has been a resident of that place 
since 1893, when he accepted his present re- 
sponsible position. The tannery is owned by 
the Penn Tanning Co., and ranks among the 
best in Howe township, Forest County. Our 
subject was born in Jefferson County, Pa., 
January 31, 1849. He is a son of Conrad and 
Susan (Rice) Geist, grandson of John G. 
Geist, and great-grandson of Andrew Geist. 

Andrew Geist was a native of Lancaster 
County, Pa., which he left early in life, locat- 
ing' in Berks County, Pa., where he is be- 
lieved to ha\e followed farming as his life's 
vocation. John (leist, grandfather of our sub- 
ject, was born in Berks County, and was a 
carpenter by trade. He left Berks County 
for Northumberland County, pursuing his 
trade there for some years, until 1834, when 
he moved into Jefferson County, and there 
spent the remainder of his days. 

Conrad Geist, father of the subject hereof, 
was born at Bear Gap, Northumberland 
County, Pa., where he attended school and 
also commenced to learn the carpenter's trade. 
He h.ad attained the age of thirteen years 
when his parents removed to Jefferson Coun- 
ty. There he busied himself with working on 
a farm which his father purchased, and also 
worked some at his trade. After the death of 
his father he took full charge of the farm, 
which he conducted in a remarkably success- 
ful manner until T869. He then sold the farm 
and removed to Armstrong County, where his 
death occurred in 1898. His marriage re- 
sulted in the birth of twelve children, viz.: 



THIRTV-SF.VENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



401 



William J.; Elizabeth; John C, the subject 
of this sketch; Sarah; Benjamin F. ; Daniel; 
Anna; Mary; Ella; Melinda, who died at the 
age of thirteen years; Rebecca; and James, 
who died at the tender age of ten years. Con- 
rad Geist was a stanch Republican, and cast 
his first \'ote for Abraham Lincoln. Mrs. 
Geist is still living, and makes her home with 
her daughter, Ella. 

John C. Geist attended the public school 
in Ringgold, Pa., until eighteen years of age, 
working at various occupations during the 
summer months. At the age of twenty years 
he decided to branch out for himself, and ac- 
cordingly started for the ^^'est. But that part 
of the country did not suit his fancy, and he 
remained only from March until October, and 
then returned to the East. Upon his return 
he engaged in lumbering on Clarion River, 
working by the day. Sul^sequentlv he fol- 
lowed the business of jobbing for a period of 
ten years. In the fall of 1886 he went to For- 
est County, Pa., and accepted a position as 
bookkeeper for the Crawford Lumber Co., 
which at that time owned and operated a large 
plant at Pigeon. Mr. Geist worked for that 
company and for Charles Leech until 1893, 
when he engaged with the Penn Tanning Co., 
as bookkeeper, at Brookston, which responsi- 
ble and lucrative position he still fills very 
creditably to himself and to the entire satis- 
faction of his employers. He wins many 
friends by his pleasant, genial manner and 
business-like ways. 

Mr. Geist was twice married. In 1874 he 
was united with Lizzie Davenspike of Fair- 
mont, Clarion Count \'. .\fter nine vears of 



happy wedded life, Mrs. Geist passed from her 
eartlily home in 1883, leaving two children, 
one of whom. Phili]) H., is still living. In 
i88<j our subject contracted a second matri- 
monial alliance, this time with Mary R. Glenn 
of Jefifenson Cnunty. One child, John G., 
blessed this seconil union. 

Mr. (ieist is an enthusiastic Republican, and 
is a hard worker for his party candidates. 
Socially, he is a meml^er of the K. O. T. M. 
He is a man of i)ublic spirit, and is generous 
and obliging to all who are entitled to fair 
treatment. He is a gentleman of exceptional 
worth and good standing, and ranks among 
the prominent citizens of Forest County. 



rHOMAS J. BOWMAN, the proprie- 
tor of one of the best general mer- 
chandise stores of Forest County, Pa., 
is located at East Hickory, Hickory town- 
.diip. and is also extensively engaged in other 
business enterprises. He is a son of David 
and Ellen (Robertson) Bowman, and was 
l)orn in Clarion County, Pa., in 1840. 

David Bowman, the father of Thomas J., 
was born in Scotland, in 18 14, and was edu- 
cated in the public schools of that country, 
after which he came to America, in the year 
1834, settling in Canada. With his brother 
John he located in Danville, Ontario, Canada, 
and in 1836 they removed to Clarion County. 
Pa., where he purchased a settler's property 
of 106 acres. Two acres of this were cleared, 
.'uiil upon it stood a crude, old log house. Pie 
wa'^ one of the earliest pioneers, and immedi- 
ately set about clearing his land of the tin:- 



402 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



ber. After Iiis famil)' had become grown he 
(;i\itle(I his farm among them and engaged in 
mercantile iiursuits. lie subsequently em- 
barked in tlie lumlicr business with Charles 
Leiper at Tvlersvilie, where lie also opened 
another stoi'c. lie continued at this business 
successfully until his death in iS86. at the age 
of sc\enty-t\\(> years, lie was a Tresbyterian 
in his religidus connections. Politically, he 
was a Democrat. He belonged to the Ma- 
sonic and Odd l'\dlows orders. He was united 
in. marriage with Ellen Robertson, a daughter 
of John Rol)ertson; she was born in Scotland, 
: nd her family were pioneers of Clarion Coun- 
ty, V:\. They became the parents of twelve 
thildrcn: John; Martin; Adam; James C, now 
(.ashier of the Citizens' National Bank of Tio- 
nesta; William W'.; Frank S. ; Edward P.; 
Charles; Robert; Jennie J. (Alt); Margaret, 
deceased; and Thomas J., the suljject hereof. 
Thomas J. Bowman was educated in Clar- 
ion County, Pa., and upon leaving school he 
learned the trade of a carpenter and joiner. 
This calling he followed for a number of years, 
and in 1861 moved to Forest County, where 
he became a contractor in barge building for 
the transportation of oil. When that business 
died out he I)ecamc a contractor at raft build- 
ing — in the meantime, however, having built 
a wharf at Hickory and a hotel at Oil Creek, 
when that place was at the height of its pros- 
perity. In 1876 Mr. Bowman engaged in the 
mercantile business, buying out the general 
store of Mr. Liggins. It was then a small 
building, and the coinitry surroimding was 
unsettled and tmdevelopcd, it being the only 
store between Tidioute and Tionesta. He 



soon acquired the patronage of the leading 
citizens of the commmiity, and now has one 
of the finest general stores in Forest County. 
In adilition to this, he owns and operates a 
gas and water-pdwer grist mill, having started 
the business in partnership with ^Ir. Ledebur, 
whose interest be later bdugbt. He does a 
large business in wheat, llotu'. and l)uck\\hcat, 
grinding one tmi an linur. and shi])s grain 
from the west ir. addition to local custom. It 
is a \\ell-c(|ui]ii)ed mill. ;nid conducted on 
modcin ])rinciples. He is also an oil pro- 
ducer, and owns some very fine territory in 
the district; he has a valuable farm in Hick- 
ory township, and is the owner of considerable 
real estate. He was an organizer, and is a 
stockholder and director, of the Citizens' Na- 
tional Bank of Tionesta. Mr. Bowman is a 
shrewd and energetic man in business affairs, 
and has not let an opportunity go by in which 
he could l^etter his condition. He is a dutiful 
citizen, and has made many friends wherever 
he is knov. n. 

Thomas J. Bowman was united in hymen- 
eal bonds with Nancy Creen, a daughter of 
James and Mary (Ircen, who was born at 
East Hickory ami educated in the common 
schools. They ha\e four children, as follows: 
Dr. Lester D., who obtained his preliminary 
educational training in East Plickory, took a 
course of study at Jamestown Acadetny, and 
then entered Brooklyn ]\Iedical College. He 
graduated from that famous institution with 
high honors, and a degree of M. D., and is 
now a physician of high repute in Forest 
County. Leone first attended the district 
schools, and then Jamestown High School, 



THIRTY-SE\EXTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



403 



after which she graduated in a classical course 
from Cornell University. She is now a teach- 
er. Iiavinq taught at the Salamanca High 
School and at Camden, N. J. Glenn is 
a successful dentist in Tidioute, having grad- 
uated from the University of Pennsylvania. 
Ellen, having completed a preliminary 
course in the district schools, is a student 
at Oberlin College, being a member of the 
class of 1902. In politics Air. Bowman is a 
stanch Democrat, and has filled all of the 
township offices with credit to himself, and 
satisfaction to his constituents. He was post- 
master for eighteen successive years, and was 
appointed to another term under Cleveland's 
administration. Religiously, he attends the 
Alethodist Episcopal Church, of which he is a 
trustee. 

■*—¥■ 

RS. ELIZA J. BARNES, widow of 
the late Erastus Barnes, is a daugh- 
ter of Zachariah and Rose (Stew- 
art) Eddy. She was born in Warren, Pa., 
June 20, 1820, and in 1846 married Mr. 
Barnes. She still resides at the old homestead 
in Barnes. Warren County. Pa. Her late 
husband was born at Italy Hill. Yates County, 
N. Y., August 5, 181 1, and was a son of Tim- 
othy and Almira (Cole) Barnes, grandson of 
Timothy and Eunice (Munson) Barnes, and 
great-grandson of Timothy and Phebe 
(Barnes) Barnes. Airs. Eliza J. Barnes is sev- 
enth in descent from Samuel Eddy, who came 
to Plymouth, Mass., from England in K>30. 
She is also a direct descendant of Captain 
Miles Standish and of John Alden. 




Timothy Barnes, the first, settled in Bran- 
ford, Conn., early in the last century. He was 
of English ancestry. In 1750 he removed to 
Litchfield, where he resided luuil his death. 
He married in 1733, Phebe Barnes, grand- 
daughter of Thomas Barnes, who settled in 
New Haven in iTqc. Their children were 
Eunice; Lois; Phebe; and Timothy. 

Timothy, the second, also lived in the vicin- 
ity of Litchfield, Connecticut. He chose for 
his life companion, Eunice Alunson, daughter 
of Solomon Munson, fifth in descent from 
Thomas Munson, of New Haven, who died in 
1685. Their home was brightened by the fol- 
lowing children: Erastus; Abigail; Timothy; 
Eunice; Munson; and Phebe. 

Timothy Barnes, the third, father of the de- 
ceased husband of our subject, first saw the 
light of day, October 4, 1780, in Litchfield, 
Connecticut. When grown to manhood, he 
settled in Cooperstown, New York, but subse- 
quently removed to Italy Hill, Yates County, 
N. Y. He was a miller by trade, and built the 
first grist mills in Yates County, which he 
operated for many years. In 1828 he removed 
to Warren County. Pa., where he pur- 
chased a large tract of land in Sheffield town- 
ship, then a wilderness — and settled in what is 
now the village of Barnes, named in his honor. 
On a branch of the Tionesta Creek he built the 
first saw mill, which he operated for two years, 
and then sold to Nathan E. Lacy. On the 
Fourth of July. 1832. he raised another saw 
mill near the site of the one now owned by the 
E. Barnes Estate, and operated by Al. L. Has- 
singer. .At that time the country was new and 
undeveloped, consisting mostly of heavy tim- 



404 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



ber land. Mr. Barnes soon constructed homes 
for himself and his workmen, and set to work 
clearing and developing his land as rapidly as 
possible. He has been called the pioneer of 
Sheffield township. In 1852 he built a grist 
mill and engaged in the flouring business. 
This was the only mill in the vicinity for many 
years, and is still standing. By his thrift and 
enterprise in opening up the country, he in- 
iluced many families to settle there. Mr. 
Barnes was at that time the mainstay of the 
whole community. He was benevolent and 
charitable, permitting no one to want for 
either food or work. In 1809 he married AI- 
mira, daughter of Gideon and Chloe (Beckley) 
Cole, but death deprived him of his companion 
while he was yet living in Yates County, New 
York. He died October 10, 1873. leaving the 
following children: Elizabeth; Erastus; Tim- 
othy M.; Leveritt; Asa H.; and Chloe. 

Erastus Barnes went to Warren County 
with his father, assisted in erecting the mills 
which became his by inheritance, and after the 
death of his father conducted the enterprise 
with skill and steady prosperity. He soon be- 
came a strong and useful man in the commun- 
ity, where he was the owner of several hun- 
dred acres of land. He was one of the prom- 
inent men of the county, full of progressive 
ideas, and, like his father, benevolent and char- 
itable. He was selected one of the county 
commissioners, and served at the time the 
Rouse Fund was given to the county, when he 
and his associates enacted those wise measures 
which are now so highly prized by its people. 
He was united in marriage with Eliza J. Eddy, 
daughter of Zachariah Eddy and subject of 



this sketch. After a long and useful life. Mr. 
Barnes passed away December 27, 1894. leav- 
ing his widow and the following family: Har- 
riet Rose; Timothy E.; Eunice L.; and Cath- 
erine E. Harriet Rose is the wife of Frank T. 
Blair, of Wauseon, Ohio. They have two 
sons, Eddy S. and Ernest F. Timothy E., 
now deceased, married .\da A. Houghton. 
Eunice L. is the widow of George Horton, 
whose sketch appears in this volume. Two 
sons were born to them — Byron B. and Harry 
H. Catherine E. is the wife of Henry H. Ham, 
of Wauseon, Ohio. They have one daughter, 
Eliza, who bears her grandmother's name. 






NGUS GILLIS, a prominent farmer 
and lumberman of Watson township, 
Warren County, Pennsylvania, is 
of Scotch origin and can trace his ancestors 
on the paternal and maternal sides back for six 
generations. He was born in Nova Scotia, 
April 14, 1847, is a son of James and Annie 
(Gillis) Gillis and grandson of James and Cath- 
erine (McClelland) Gillis of Inverness, Scot- 
land. This latter James Gillis was a son of 
Alexander Gillis, a grandson of Donald Gillis, 
and great-grandson of John Gillis. Our sub- 
ject's ancestors were prosperous farmers of 
the old Gillis clan, and were well known dis- 
tillers of whiskey in Scotland. 

James Gillis, father of our subject, was the 
first member of the family to leave Scotland. 
He was born in 1 810 at Inverness, and left his 
native country in 1831, settling in Cape Bre- 
ton, Nova Scotia, being three months in cross- 
ing the Atlantic Ocean. After landing there 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



405 



lie purcliased a farm containing lOO acres of 
timber land, which he cleared and engaged in 
farming and dairying. He was nnited in mar- 
riage with Annie Gillis, who was horn in Nova 
Scotia in 1816 and was reared and educated 
there. A very peculiar coincidence in connec- 
tion with Mr. Gillis' ancestors, quite worthy 
of mention here, is, that the maiden name of 
his mother was also Gillis, and that the mater- 
nal ancestors of our subject can also be traced 
back to the sixth generation. Annie Gillis is 
a daughter of Angus Gillis, granddaughter of 
Duncan Gillis, great-granddaughter of Hugh 
Gillis, and great-great-granddaughter of Mar- 
tin Gillis. 

The union of James and Annie resulted in 
the birth of twelve children, namely: Cathe- 
rine; Margaret (Langevin); John; Mary; Don- 
ald; Jeannette; Annie (McGillis); Angus; 
Jane; Flora (Morrison); Alexander, and Mar- 
tin. The elder Mr. Gillis remained in Nova 
Scotia for a period of seventeen years, then re- 
moved to Stormont County, Canada, Prov- 
ince of Ontario, leasing 200 acres of land there 
in the wilderness, belonging to the Church 
of England. After living upon the land for 
eighteen years, he removed to Glenf^ary Coun- 
ty. He was a Conservative and a member of 
the Roman Catholic Church. His death oc- 
curred in 1888, at the age of seventy-eight 
years. 

.\ngus Gillis, who received his name in 
honor of his maternal grandfather, was edu- 
cated in Canada, and afterward assisted his 
father in clearing land and farming. In 1863 
he left Canada for the United States, locating 
in Champaign County, (3hio, where he 



worked for two years. He then took quite an 
extensive tour over the United States to 
points of interest in Indiana, Illinois, Missis- 
sippi, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Michigan, 
after which he returned to Ohio. In the fall 
of 1864 he moved to Oil City, Pennsylvania, 
and engaged in the oil business for a number 
of years. He then went to Limestone town- 
ship, Warren County, and engaged in lumber- 
ing, jobbing, and working on the Allegheny 
River. In 1869, he purchased his present farm 
in W'atson township, and worked that also in 
addition to his lumber interests. This farm 
consists of fifty acres; when purchased it was 
only wild land, but under the careful manage- 
ment of our subject it has been transformed 
into one of the most productive and well-kei)t 
farms of its size in Warren County. Mr. Gil- 
lis built a convenient and attractive dwell- 
ing house on his place, together with substan- 
tial and spacious barns. — all from original 
plans of his own design. He raises grain and 
general farm produce. 

Mr. Gillis is a ])ublic-spirited citizen, taking 
an active part in an_\- iuo\-ement for the i)ul)lic 
good. In association with Mr. ^lowris, he 
started the movement for free bridges, which 
resulted later in the free bridges in and around 
Warren. He is an earnest advocate for the 
betterment of pul)lic schools and' for good 
roads. Our subject also possesses decided 
literary taste, as his extensive library proves, 
and has real ability as a writer, being the au- 
thor of numerous papers read at the meetings 
of the P. of H. In his political affiliations he 
was formerly a Rei)ublican, later a Prohibi- 
tionist, and is now independent. He has 



406 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



served the interests of his party as township 
treasurer, as school director, treasurer, and, 
also, as postmaster. In his rolit^ious views ^Ir. 
Gillis entertains l)road, liberal ideas, being a 
generous supporter of all church denomina- 
tions. 

Socially, he is a very active member of the 
Grangers Society, and was chief templar in 
T. (). (i. T. for eight years. He combines all 
the (|iialilies essential in the make-up of a good 
citizen, and enjoys the respect and esteem of 
his friends and neighbors. 




RTITUR McKINNEY has a clear title 
to a leading place among the well-to- 
do antl successful farmers and lum- 
bermen of Warren County, Pennsylvania. He 
is now retired from active business pursuits, 
spending the evening of life on his beautiful 
farm near Youngsville, surrounded by loving 
children and devoted friends. His home, 
where friends are always welcome, is a model 
one, and is in the midst of fine fields, whose 
broad acres contain rich, alluvial soil, and are 
finely cultivated. Both Mr. and Mrs. McKin- 
ney have the reputation of Ijeing splendid en- 
tertainers, and the fortunate guest who 
chances to partake of their generous hospi- 
tality so cheerfully dispensed will not soon 
forget it. They are simply enjoying the bless- 
ings which come from early opportunities well 
improved, and trust faithfully kept. 

Arthur IVlcKinney is an ardent Democrat, 
and has always advocated his party's princi- 
l)les and supported its candidates. Although 
he resides in a district where that party is in 



the minority, he has frequently been elected 
to borough offices by large majorities, which 
is a fair proot of his i)opularity. He has held 
the offices of school director, member of the 
council, and judge of elections. He was born 
in \'oungs\ille, Warren County, Pa.. .\\)v\] lo. 
1831: is a son of John and Lorinda (Sim- 
mons) McKinney, and grandson of John ^^c- 
Kiniic\-. who was born in Ireland, whence he 
came to America, and died in 1S40, at the age 
of sevent}- years. 

John McKinney. father of .\rthur, was born 
near Youngsville, Pa., in December, 1804. 
Pie was a man of great prominence, being 
elected sheritt of Warren County in 1830, at 
the early age of twenty-six years. His princi- 
pal occupation was lunil)ering. which he car- 
ried on extensively for many years. During 
his early manhood he rafted a choice cpiality 
of white pine lumber down the river to Pitt.s- 
burg, which he was compelled to sell at the 
insignificant figure of $3.00 per thousand; the 
same quality of lumber would, at the present 
time, be worth $50.00 per thousand. His most 
useful and industrious life was terminated 
March 10, 1879. His wife's maiden name was 
Lorinda Simmons. She was born in May, 
1806, and sur\i\ed her husband nine years, 
her death occurring August 20. 1888. Their 
familv consisted of five children, the only one 
now living being the subject of this sketch. 
The following are their names: Arthur. P)y- 
ron, Harriet (Kinnear). Francis, and James. 

Arthur IMcKinney was educated in the pub- 
lic schools of Youngsville and at the Pitts- 
burg Conunercial C"ollege. after which he de- 
voted his life to farming and lumbering, never 




A^^ 



lOHX WALTON. 




MRS. ELIZABETH WALTON. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



deviating from tliat course until his recent re- 
tirement. He has developed into a man of 
broad ideas, and is thoroughly informed on 
all points relating to the improvement of his 
farm, which is considered one of the finest in 
the county. July 14, 1854, he was united in 
wedlock with Anna Mary Brown, a daughter 
of John and Matilda J. Brown. Mrs. McKin- 
ney was horn in Titusville. Pa., September 4, 
1830. Five children blessed this happy union, 
namely: William S., born June 8, 1856; Har- 
riet A., born July 12. 1858; Nellie, born Feb- 
ruarv iS, 1861 ; Fred O., born December 22, 
1865; and Myrtie, now deceased, born Octo- 
ber 24. 1873. 

Mr. McKinney is a charter member of the 
Ancient Order of L'nited Workmen, and lioth 
he and ]\Irs. McKinney are active meml)ers of 
the M. E. Church. The private and semi- 
public life of tliis gentleman elicits the full ad- 
miration of those with whom he comes in 
contact, and, although retired, he still mingles 
with younger men and takes an intelligent in- 
terest in matters of moment to the township, 
county, state, and to the country at large. 
He is certainly a man of whom any county 
would be proud, and Warren County is fortu- 
nate in being able to include him among its 
citizens. 



kRS. KLiZABpyrn waltox, wid- 

iw of the late John Walton, is one 
'of the most liighly esteemed resi- 
dents of Colum])us, Warren County, Pa., and 
takes an active interest in all affairs pertaining 




to the good of the people. Her husband, John 
\\'alton, was one of the representative men of 
his \icinity. and was known to be a man of 
good business principles and excellent charac- 
ter. His ancestors settled in Warren Conn- 
t}' in the early pioneer days, and did much to 
build up the community. His father, Aaron 
Walton, was born in 1771, and w^as a son of 
.\rtemus Walton, ^I. D., who was a well 
known ]ihvsician in the locality. John Wal- 
ton's father \v;is one of ten children, namely: 
Aaron: Andrew; David; Asa; Levi; John; 
Artemisia (Weber); Esther (Weber); Eliza 
(Francis); and Mary (Kennedy). 

John \\'alton, the husband of our subject. 
was first married to Harriet T. Spencer, and 
she liore him eight children, as follows: 
Charles H.; Laura A. (Colgrove); Lucinda 
(Colgrove); Darius S.; Louisa (Madison); 
Spencer A.; Frank D.; and Lucretia. After 
the death of his wife he married Elizabeth 
Lackey, the suljject of this biography, a 
daughter of Robert and Agnes (Parker) Lack- 
ey, natives of Scotland. Our subject's grand- 
father, Andrew Lackey, was a well known 
manufacturer and linen weaver, and employed 
a large number of men. He married Isaljelle 
Couplas, and their children were: Robert: An- 
drew: David: John: Samuel; James; Mar\- 
(Donnelly); and Bess (Weir). Rt)berl Lack- 
ey, the father of our subject, was also a linen 
weaver, and immigrated to Canada with 
liis wife and children when our subject 
w;is but nine years old. ^^'hiIe at sea 
the mother became sick and died, and 
the bereavement was keenly felt. The fam- 
ily settled in Canada, but our subject's 



412 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



father remained only a few years, when he re- 
turned to Scotland. Mrs. Walton was then 
tlirown on lier own resources, and at an early 
age, without any education, began the strug- 
gle of life. She has by ])erse\orancc. courage 
and great exertions lifted herself to an 
enviable position, and is proud of the 
place she now occupies in the town- 
ship. Most of her early life was spent 
in Canada, where she was entirely dependent 
on her energy and ambition. Coming when a 
young girl to Columbus she took charge of 
Mr. Walton's house, later living with Mr. 
Walton's sister. In Sejitember, 1880, she mar- 
ried John Walton, and was to him a kind and 
loving wife. 

Mrs. Walton is of a kind and benevolent 
disposition, and, though very unassuming, her 
influence is greatly felt in the community. She 
is deejily interested in religious work, being 
an active member of the Presbyterian church, 
giving much time and attention to missionary 
and charitable works. Ilcr home is one of 
the most attractive in the to\\n, Mrs. Walton 
having altered and beautiticcl it in many ways. 
In 1898 she added one of the most attracti\e 
features of the place. — a large and beautiful 
veranda. .Mrs. Walton is greatly respected 
and loved b_\- her neighbors, and is always will- 
ing to lend a hel])ing hand to those in distress. 

To Mrs. Walton's many friends it will be a 
pleasure to view her jjortrait. which ap])ears 
on a preceding page, accompanied by that of 
her late husband. John Walton, who was in 
every resjiect a worthy and reiircsentative citi- 
zen. 




KWIS JOSEPH PAUL, the widely 
known and popular manager of River- 
side stock farm, at West Hickory, 
Forest Count)', Pa., although a young man, 
has already won an enviable reputation 
among the breeders and kjvers of fme horses 
and dairy cows as a man who loves choice 
stock and is an expert in rearing and caring 
for it. For nearly ten years he has had the 
management of the great stock farm of which 
Col. John J. Carter, of Titusville, I'a., is the 
owner, and in that time Mr. Paul has amply 
demonstrated Col. Carter's wisdom in select- 
ing him as its active manager. This farm 
co\ers 6.000 acres of fine land and great in- 
terests are invovled in the discharge of such 
a trust. 

Mr. Paul is a son of Ulrich and Jemimah 
(Nightwine) Paul, and was born in Hunting- 
don County, Pa., March 4, 1862. His father, 
Ulrich Paul, was a native of Germany. He 
was a railroad engineer and was killeil in 1866, 
at the age of thirty-three years, in an acci- 
dent, his train running off the track and into 
a river. Me left a widow and three children. 
His widow remarried and is now Mrs. Ander- 
son, residing in Sawyer City, McKean 
Count}', Pa., Inning three children by her 
second marriage. 

Lewis J. Paul was rearetl in Huntingdon, 
where he remained until he was mne years of 
age, when he determined to seek his fortune 
elsewhere and went to \'enango County, Pa., 
where he remained until 1881, when he re- 
moved to Bradford, Pa. He had some com- 
mon-school education, but from the age of fif- 
teen years he was employed in the oil fields. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



413 



until 1891, wlien he assumed tlie very re- 
sponsible position of manager of the farm 
mentioned above. Mr. Paul was united in 
marriage in August, 1884, to ]Miss Ellen Mc- 
Hale, of Sawyer City, Pa., a niece of Col. 
Carter. Fraternally, our subject is a Master 
Mason and a member of the Maccabees. Po- 
litically, he is a Democrat, but has never 
sought nor held public office. Religiously, he 
was reared a Roman Catholic and is a con- 
sistent member of the church of the faith in 
which he was taught. 

Wiien Mr. Paul took charge of Riverside 
farm as manager he immediately made many 
imiiroNements. lie replaced the modest and 
inadequate dwelling with a handsome villa, 
which adds greatly to the beauty of the farm, 
as well as to the convenience of the owner, 
manager and employees. The creamery, four 
large Ijarns, and all the buildings on the farm 
are of most modern construction and are ad- 
mirably adapted to the purposes for which 
they are used. Not only are the barns fine 
structures and imposing in exterior, Init their 
interiors are fitted with everything which 
goes to make Riverside farm one of the finest 
and best ec^uipped of its kind in Pennsylvania. 
There is am])le stall room for the many fine 
horses and the herds of fine cattle and an 
abundant and never-failing supply of the 
|)urest spring water; natural gas is extensively 
used for lighting and heating. The water 
su]>ply is an especially well-arranged feature 
and ample protection against fire is afforded 
by numerous hydrants, from which water may 
be drawn at a gravity pressure of fifty-four 
pounds to the square inch. 



Under the able management of Mr. Paul, 
Riverside farm has become widely known as 
tlie possessor of many of the finest horses and 
cattle in the United States. The farm is sit- 
uated on the Allegheny River, between Tio- 
nesta anil Tidioute, in Forest County, and is 
within fi\e minutes' walk from the railway 
station at West Hickory, on the \\'^estern 
New York & Pcnnsyhania R. R. The farm, 
although established only about ten years, 
stands as a most forceful object lesson in good 
husbandry. Tlie main purpose in its estab- 
lishment was education along the lines of 
approved methods in farming and stock rais- 
ing. It b.as no theory that has not been 
proven true in practice. So many improve- 
ments have been made that it is to-day really 
"a thing of beauty and a joy forever" to all 
admirers of clean and well-equipped farms, 
good farm buildings and fine animals 
throughout the United States. The second 
purpose of the enterprise — the raising of fine 
stock — has been (le\-eloped along the best 
lines known to the science, and at Riverside 
farm may be found three herds of the most 
approved .strains of blooded cattle: the Polled 
Durham, the Jersey and the Holstein-Fries- 
ian. In selecting the indixidual animals of 
these herds no expense was thought too great 
to secure the best. The three herds of cattle 
include in'cr one hundred and fifty animals of 
superior merit, thus gi\ing individual char- 
acteristics considerable range, so as to have 
as many as possible of the best types of the 
same family re])resented in each herd. 

Riverside farm is also the home of many 
beautiful horses, including splendid stallions 



414 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 




of pure blood and Ijreeding and a harem of 
fifty broodmares, witli a pro.e^eny wortliy of 
the 1)C.st and fnllest consideration of the farm- 
ing commnnity. Among the many fme 
horses on the farm are the celebrated import- 
ed English coach-stallion Ingmanthorpe 
Ranger and the magnificent Clydesdale stal- 
lion Golden Acre. The farm is conducted on 
the principle that it is better to sell a good 
animal at a fair jiricc than a poor animal at 
any price. 

— ♦ • ♦- 

11 AKT.ES H. CLAWSOX, an exten- 
■^ue dry gotxls merchant at Corxdon, 
Warren County, Pa., is one of tiie 
most acti\e and energetic men of his section. 
He is noted for his public spirit, being awake 
ni)t only to his own interests but to those of the 
communit}- as well; while as a iirivale citizen 
he stands high in the esteem of his fellow-men. 
He is a son of Jacob and J?ine (Hamilton) 
C"lawson, and was born in Cam|)bell, Steuben 
County, N. Y., in 1856. 

El)enezer Clawson, tiie grandfather of 
Charles H., was of Scotch descent, and was 
born in the state of New York. There lie re- 
ceived his education and learned tlie trade of 
a wagon maker. In 1841 he removed to Cam])- 
bell, Steuben County, where he li\ed during 
the remainder of his life. He married Rohany 
McHenry, a drmghter of John McHenrw and 
they reared three children: Jacob; Betsy; and 
John M. Upon the death of his wife, Mr. 
Clawson formed a second union with Loretta 
Reed of Potter County, N. Y., and they have 
two children: Martha (Thom])son); and Julia 
(Williams). 



Jacob Clawson, the father of Charles H., 
was born in Southport, Chemung County, N. 
Y., January [(). iHjy, but moved with his 
father to Steuben County, when a young man, 
and there accejited a jiosition in the first gen- 
eral store that was opened in the town. He 
then followed lumbering until 1850, when he 
opened a small general store. He was very 
successful from the start, and owing to the 
large increase in his trade he was compelled to 
build larger quarters. After continuing in this 
business for a number of years, he retired; but 
as a life of ease did not satisfy his energetic 
nature, in \Hi.)^, in partnership with ]Mr. Ham- 
ilton, he again embarked in the mercantile 
business, which he has .since continued. He 
married Jane Hamilton, a daughter of Cor- 
nelius Hamilton, and they had five children; 
Sarah; Charles H., the subject hereof; b^rank 
IZ.. a business man of Glenhazel, who was 
born in the year 1861; Louise (Lauderdale), 
who resides in Geneseo, N. Y. ; and John L., a 
wholesale dry goods merchant of Buffalo, New- 
York. Mr. Clawson is an aggressive Repub- 
lican, but not an aspirant to office. He is a 
member of the K. of IL. anil religiously is a 
Presbyterian. 

Charles H. Clawson received his elementary 
training in the public schools of Campbell, 
Steuben County. N. Y.. and upon leaving 
school assisted his father in the mercantile 
business for a numljer of years. He then went 
to Red House, and in partnershii) with A. I^. 
Hapgood, l)egan the manufacture of handles 
for agricultural hand-tools. He met with busi- 
ness reverses in 1882, and was out of business 
until 1884, when he moved to Corydon and 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



415 



opened a small general store, which was lo- 
cated in a very contracted building on the 
river road. His trade grew to large propor- 
tions, and in e\cry way his business was in a 
prosperous condition, but in 1S92 the entire 
business portion of the town was destroyed by 
fire and Mr. Clawson lost heavily. He was not 
to be downed, however, for with his character- 
istic ])ush and energy he succeeded in renting 
a building belonging to the lodge of Macca- 
bees, and by the next morning he was selling 
goods at his new stand, and in a few days his 
business was running as smoothly as ever. He 
now has the largest and best equipped store in 
Corydon, and one which would be a credit to a 
much larger town. He carries a complete line 
of everything for which there is any demand, 
and has a comprehensive stock of groceries, 
clothing, dry goods, boots and shoes, station- 
ery, notions, etc. He is one of the good, sub- 
stantial citizens of the coninnuiity, and is re- 
spected as such. 

Charles H. Clawson was united in marriage 
with Rhoda J. Smith, who is a daughter of 
Bishop and Fanny ]\I. (Lewis) Smith. Bishop 
Smith was at one time a prosperous merchant 
of Troy, N. Y., but at the time of his death he 
was a prominent resident of Prattsburg, New 
York. He built the first brick building in the 
latter place, and in it conducted his store, deal- 
ing in dry goods and groceries. He was born 
in 1800 and died in 1862. Politically he was 
a Republican, Init never held office. In re- 
ligious faith he was a Presbyterian. His wife 
was born in 1831, and was a daughter of 
Gradus and Cornelia (Swart) Lewis. Her 
father lived on a farm four miles west of 



Prattsburg, N. Y., and she attended the 
schools of that village and later became a 
teacher there. In 1865 she formed a second 
union with Martin Pinney, the owner of large 
business interests about Prattsburg. She died 
in 1892, aged sixty years. Her parents had the 
following chidren: Sarah (Schults); John, a 
harness manufacturer; Jeremiah, a farmer; 
Fanny M.: Ilainiah. the wife of a .Mr. W'ahlo; 
Christina (Greaves); Kate (Jones); Jenny 
(Waldo); Henry; Mary M.; Lewis; and Jos- 
eph, who died in infancy. Henr\- was captured 
in the Civil War and his health was so under- 
mined by imprisonment that he went to Hul)- 
bardston, Mich., in hope of recovery, but re- 
turned home and died. 

Rhoda J. Smith, the wife of the subject of 
this sketch, was born at Prattsburg, Steuben 
County, X. Y., September 17, 1858, and at- 
tended Prattsburg Academy, graduatinL"- in 
1875. She then took a scientific course at 
Rochester, N. Y. She had the sad misfortune 
to lose her father when she was but four years 
old. Mrs. Clawson is a good musician and an 
entertaining conversationalist. As the result 
of her union with Mr. Clawson she is the 
mother of five children: Francis L.. who was 
born in 1887; Stuart Bishop, born in 1889; 
Louisa G., born in 1891; ]\Iartin Pinney, born 
in 1893; and Robert J., born in 1898. Relig- 
iously, they are members of the Presbyterian 
Church. He is a Republican in politics and 
has served as school director. Socially, he is 
a member of Salamanca Lodge, Xo. 239. 
F. & A. M.; Salamanca Chapter, No. 266; 
Salamanca Commandery, X'o. 62; and Zem 
Zem Temple, .\ncient Arabic Order Xobles of 



416 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 




the Mystic Shrine, of Erie. Pa. Mrs. Clawson 
is eligible to meml)ershi|) in the society of 
Daughters of the American Revolution. 
through her rciationshiiiwith l-lhcnczer Smith, 
her great-grandfather, who was corjjoral in a 
regiment frcmi AJli.-mv County. Xew York. 



I'.XJAMIX I'RAXKI.IX. the efficient 
justice of tile peace of Lander. Farm- 
ington to\\nshi]i. Warren Ccnnity, 
Pa., is also proprietor of a fine, large new ho- 
tel of tliat i)lace. The hotel was commenced 
in June of last year and was opened to the 
public on January i, 1899. It was built with 
the object of pleasing its patrons by furnishing 
them with pleasant, comfortable rooms, to- 
gether with all modern con\-eniences and 
good service. The whole of the first floor is 
finished with iiardwood floors and decorations, 
and the wliole structure is very neat and han- 
d_v. P.enjamin Franklin was l)orn in Schoharie 
County. X. Y.. in 1835. He is a son of Ansel 
and Ixebecca (Shelmidine) Franklin and 
grandson of Ebenezer Franklin. 

Elienezer Franklin was born in Vermont. 
He rendered valuable service to our country 
during the War of 1812. He was thrice mar- 
ried. His first wife bore him the following 
five children: Iietsy; Ansel, father of our sub- 
ject; Clark; Sally and John. His second wife 
l)ore him one daughter, Hannah, and one son. 
Ansel. 

.Ansel Franklin was born in Vermont and 
accompanied his father to Schoharie County. 
N. Y., in 1814. A noted feature is ol)served 
in the life of the father of our subject which 



illustrates one item of difference between the 
l)rivations of those early times and the many 
articles of comfort and con\enience which 
even the very poorest can obtain at the pres- 
ent time. Ansel Franklin never knew what it 
was to own either boots or stockings until he 
had attained the age of fourteen years. One 
night in the dead of winter, during the absence 
of his father, the roof was blown from ofif their 
log cabin and the whole family were obliged 
to make their way, barefooted and through 
the snow, to the home of a relative two miles 
distant. One can scarcely realize, in these 
days, which we call "hard times," the many 
privations and difficulties endured by those 
pioneer settlers. In 1851 Ansel Franklin 
mo\ed to Farmington township, Warren 
County, Pa., and settled on a farm just north 
of Lander, which is now known as the "Ben- 
jamin Franklin Place." He died in 1858, and 
his companion survived him until 1871, when 
she, too, laid down the burden of life and en- 
tered into rest. Their family consisted of the 
following children: Benjamin, subject of this 
sketch; Cordelia, wife of John Miller of l-'arm- 
ington township; Jane; and Delos. Mrs. Mil- 
ler died in 1871, having had two children, Le- 
roy and Cora; Jane died young; Delos mar- 
ried .Agnes Logan, a daughter of John Logan 
of Farmington township. They also had two 
children, Ellen Rebecca and Ansel J. Delos 
resides in Farmington township, and is a con- 
stable. 

Benjamin Franklin was educated in his na- 
tive county in New York at the old Jefferson 
Academy, and when sixteen years of age ac- 
companied his parents to Warren County. Pa. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



417 



For many years he stayed at home woiking 

on the farm in Farmington township and 
teaching school in the winter months; also 
tanght singing school, and after a time bought 
out the other heirs, -and thus became the sole 
owner of the old homestead. In 1864 he built 
a saw mill at Lander, which he operated suc- 
cessfully for fourteen years, when it burned to 
the ground and was a total loss. This mill 
was the first in that section to be operated or 
run by steam power, and its boiler and engine 
were a source of great wonder to the inhabi- 
tants who had seen such work done only by 
water power. 

Our subject took for his life i)artner Aurilla 
Kerr, daughter of David and Angeline (Dice) 
Kerr, of Titusville, Pa. In 1891 he was called 
upon to sustain the loss of his wife, and is sti'l 
inconsolable. She was fifty-one years old. Of 
this union were born two children, one of 
whom, Addie May, wife of Seth Smith of New 
York, is now engaged in operatic work on the 
stage. The otiier, Lena E.. is the wife of Fred 
Phillips of Lakewood, N. V. Mr. Phillips and 
his wife own and conduct a new hotel called 
the "Gifford House" at that famous summer 
resort. 

Mr. Franklin is a Democrat politically, and 
has broad and liberal views on religious sub- 
jects. He has always taken a deep interest in 
the educational affairs of Farmington town- 
ship, and has served as school director for 
twenty-one years. He owns a large amount 
of real estate in the same township. In 1892 he 
was elected to the office of justice of the peace, 
and is now serving his second term. Mr. 
Franklin is popular and respected. He deals 



out justice in a most capable and fearless man- 
ner, pleasing everybody except the guilty cul- 
prits, who are careful not to lie called too often 
into his presence. 




EPHAKIAH S. HIMES, senior mem- 
ber of the firm of Z. S. Himes & Son, 
who own a fine, large meat market 
in Marienville, Pa., is one of the most 
esteemed citizens in Jenks township, and is 
well and favorably known throughout For- 
est County. Mr. Himes is a native of Clarion 
County, Pa., where he was born August 20, 
1839. He is a son of Joseph and Abigail 
(Space) Himes and a grandson of Christopher 
Himes. 

Joseph Himes remained at home until the 
death of his father, who. was killed by being 
crushed under a log when Joseph was but 
four years of age. He then went to live with 
Henrv Nolph, who resided at a place then 
called Red Bank, Clarion County, Pa. There 
Joseph remained, working about the farm and 
attending school a portion of the time. But. 
as usual in such cases, his education was very 
limited, for he, like most boys of that age, 
preferred to hunt, which he did a great deal, 
as game was plentikil; the woods in those 
days abounded with various kinds of game. 
In 1835 Joseph Himes was joined in matri- 
mony with Abigail Space. The young folks 
first settled in Little Creek, Jefferson County, 
where Mr. Himes found employment in a mill 
for some years as a sawyer. Later he pur- 
chased a farm on Leisure Run, Red Bank 
township. Clarion County, and engaged in 



418 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



agricultural pursuits until 1849, when he sold 
out and moved to liis present home at New 
llcthlehcni. I'a. where he is still enjoying lif'^ 
and folloN\ing the same peaceful and inde- 
pendent calling. 

TweKe children were horn to him and his 
wiirthy wife, namely: Susanna, who died aged 
four \ears: Zephaniah S., suhject of thi.^ 
•sketch; John A,, who resides in L'hu'ion Coun- 
ts, i'a.. and married Sophia liowers; Kather- 
ine. who has heen thrice married, and is now 
a widow, — her first hushand was Mahlon 
Ridgeway, her second, Joseph Hamilton, and 
her third. Martin \\'il]iams. who was at one 
time a member of the legislature from Clarion 
County; Finley, wlio died in 1866; William 
!>.. who resides on a farm near New Bethle- 
hem, .and is the husband of Anna Steward; 
Lero_\- S., who resides in Clarion, Pa., where 
he has been principal of tlie school for aljout 
nine years, and has also taught in Clarion 
State Normal School, — he was united in mar- 
riage with Lucretia Roll; Marshall S.. who 
married Emma McClellan, and is now a farm- 
er in Clarion County. Pa.: ?^largaret E., who 
became the wife of Ihu'ns llosv — both being 
now deceased; Thomas C, who married Edith 
llenry and resides in \\'isc(.)nsin; and an in- 
fant, now deceased. 

The subject hereof remained at home until 
seventeen years of age, receiving a very 
meager education. He first went to work for 
a Mr. Ih'own, in Clarion Cotnit}', with whom 
he remained three years. He then rented a 
farm in the same county, and followed farm- 
ing for four years on his own behalf. .\t the 
end of that time he purchased IJ4 acres of 



land on Leisure Run, four miles east of New 
Bethlehem, Pa. After remaining there twelve 
years, he sold his farm, purchasing another 
one near by, which consisted of eighty acres. 
He remained on this farm until 1876, and dis- 
posed of it, also — then remo\-ing to Shiiii)cns- 
\ille, where he rented a hotel, which he con- 
ducted for two _\ears. Jle was then elected 
justice of the pe;ice, and devoted nnich of his 
time to that oftice, until 1882, when he went 
to Marionville, and at once engaged in the 
meal business. Upon first locating there he 
erected a market Ijelow the Forest House, 
and remained in that building imtil 1890, 
w hen he sold it and rented a place for about 
four years. In 1894 he built his present large 
and convenient market. 

Shortly after his arrival in Marionville, Mr. 
Himes built the Forest House, and in connec- 
tion with his other business, conducted a hotel 
for twelve years, which he then sold. In 1883 
his son .Mien was admitted to partnership, and 
the firm has since been Z. S. Himes & Son. 
On December 8, 1859, Mr. Himes was united 
in marriage with Nancy Jane Rimer, an at- 
tractive daughter of Christopher and .\nnie 
(Shick) Rimer, of Clarion County. Ei\e chil- 
dren ha\e been born to them. The eldest is 
Allen E., who is the junior member of tlie 
firm. He married Laura Hyde of Crawford 
County, and they have the following six chil- 
dren: Leota, Myrtle, Z. Everell, Vivian M., 
Mildred ])., and Merritt E. The second child 
of Mr. Himes, Allie, married Harvey- M. Stan- 
ley, and bore him three children — Jennie, Ada, 
atid Ivv. His third child was Lizzie, who died 
at the teniler age of six \-ears. The fourth 




GILBERT W. DENNISTON. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



421 



was Lily, who also died young. The young- 
est child, May, resides at home, and is a very 
successful teacher in the public school. She 
graduated at the Clarion State Normal School 
in 1897. 

Aside from his regular business, Mr. Himes 
is connected with the Poorman Gas Co., and 
owns considerable real estate. In politics he 
is a Republican, and has held numerous town- 
ship ofhces. In the spring of 1899 he was a 
candidate for associate judge, but was de- 
feated l)y only a small majority. In religious 
matters he favors the M. E. Church. Social- 
ly, he is a member of the P. O. S. of .America. 
Mr. Himes is a man of great force and earn- 
estness of character, and the citizens of 
Marion\ille are indebted to him in many 
ways, for he is public spirited and generous — 
taking great pleasure in employing his time 
and energies in behalf of the town where he 
resides. 



n^ 



ILBERT W. DENNISTON, the effi- 
\>5|_ cient foreman and superintendent of 
the Clarendon Tannery, now owned 
and operated by the Penn Tanning Company, 
is held in high esteem, not only by his employ- 
ers but by the citizens of Clarendon, \\'arren 
County. Our subject has been a citizen of 
Clarendon for almost a cjuarter of a century, 
and his interests have been identified with 
those of the Clarendon Taimery the whole of 
that time. In 1876 he located in Clarendon 
and acted as foreman for the Rockwell and 
Clarendon Tannery, and remained with them 
until the same property was transferred to the 
Penn Tanning" Compau}-, when he entered the 



employ of the latter. In May, i89r), he was 
appointed superintendent in addition to being 
foreman. His ])osition is one of great respon- 
sibilit}- and his duties are varied. 

The ])lant is an extensive one and to-day 
covers more than fifteen acres of land and em- 
])loys from y-, to 100 men. It tans leather and 
hides in a lirst-class maimer by the acid pro- 
cess: most of the bark used for this purpose 
is produced in the Thirty-seventh Judicial Dis- 
trict of Pennsylvania. Mi". Denniston is con- 
sidered just the man to oversee such work, as 
he began to work in his father's tannery while 
still a boy, and became thoroughly familiar 
with many secret processes used by him. He 
passed through all the different branches of 
the work, and while still a young man was a 
very skilled workman. The principles and 
I)rocesses of tanning have been his life study 
and he has been connected with tanneries at 
dilYerent places since boyhood. Before com- 
ing to Clarendon he was located at Lindley, 
Steuben County, N. Y., and at Thorndale, 
Sullivan Countv, Pa. He was born in Sullivan 
County, N. Y., August 24, 1850, and is a son 
of George W. and Elizabeth (Wales) Dennis- 
ton and grandson of Gilbert Denniston. 

Gilbert Denniston, the grandfather, was of 
Scotch descent and was born in Orange Coun- 
ty, N. Y.; before his death, which occurred 
at the age of si.xty, he became one of the most 
successful farmers and lumber dealers in his 
section of the state. He began for himself in 
Orange County, N. Y., where he followed the 
occupation of a farmer, but later moved to 
Fallsburg township, Sullivan County. X. Y.. 
and, in connection with farming, manufac- 



422 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



turcd and dealt in luml)er to a considerable ex- 
tent. Sarah Wheeler became his wife, and the 
folkiwini^- children were born to thenr Mar- 
cus: Wiieeler; luhvard; John; luiocli; ( ieors^c 
\\'.. our subject's father; Cecilia; Hannah J.; 
and one more whose name is not known. 

George W. Dcnniston received a good prac- 
tical education and while yet a young' man 
went to New York City and clerked in a drug 
store. Earning fair wages and being saving of 
his mone_\-. he soon ac(|uired sufficient capital 
to start a business of his own, and located at 
Pike Pond, Sullivan County, N. \'., and open- 
ed a general merchandise store, which lie con- 
ducted for some time, Init not being satisfied 
with this, and bclie\iiig he would succeed bet- 
ter at something else, he sold out and engaged 
in the tannery at West Brookville, Sullivan 
County, N, Y., for several years, and then sold 
out at a fair ]irofit. Hearing of great induce- 
ments in the \\'est, he turned in that direction 
and located in Montgomery Count}-, Kansas. 
He purchased a fine farm and found occupa- 
tion in cultixating and im])ro\'ing it for a pe- 
riod of h\e or six years, when he again sold 
out, and settled in Comanche County, Texas, 
where he followed farming until cut off b>' 
death in 1882. at the age of fifty-nine years. 
He was twice married. His first marriage was 
contracted with Elizabeth Wales, a daughter 
of Dr. Blake Wales, and an aunt of Hon. A. 
D. Wales of Binghamton, N. Y., who is one 
of the most noted attorneys of the Em])ire 
State, ilis first wife died at the earl\- age of 
thirty, ha\ing borne her husband two chil- 
dren: Helen, who died in early childhood, and 
Gilbert W., the subject of this sketch. Mr. 



Denniston's second matrimonial alliance was 
formed with Mary L. Wcstbrook. and their 
family consisted of the following children: V.\- 
mer W.. who li\ed to be onl_\- three years old; 
Grace, now the wife of I'.san Thor]) of ^'onk- 
ers. N. 'S'.; b'Inier, who died at the age of 
thirteen _\ears; and Mina, who became the 
wife of Galen Booth, and now resides in the 
state of New Jersey. 

Our worthy subject was united in marriage 
with l*"lizal)etli I'.right, a daughter of William 
Bright. Several years ago Mr. Denniston 
was called upon to mourn the loss of his 
beloved wife. She died in i8(;4, at the age 
of forty-seven, leaving two daughters as a 
legacy to her husband: Polly Wales, born No- 
vember 23, 1884, and Edna B,. born Novem- 
ber 20, 1886: these two charming daughters 
are not only great students but also very 
promising musicians, and their father is justly 
proud of them. Mr. Denniston is an earnest 
Re]iul)lican, and is a Universalist in religious 
views. Fraternally he is a member of the 
Royal Arcanum and a past grand of the I. O. 
O. F. lodge. As a represeiitati\e citizen of 
his district, we take ])leasure in stating that a 
portrait of Mr. Denniston appears on a pre- 
ceding page. 



fAMES H.\RRISON MORRISON, a 
]irominent and influential resident of 
Marienville, Forest County, Pa., was 
born in Jefferson County, I^a., .\ugust 3, 185 1. 
He is a son of Robert and Martha (Brown) 
Morrison. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



423 



Tlie grandfather of our subject was born in 
tlie north of Irehmd, and, consequently, was 
of sturdy, Scotcli-lrish parentage. He came 
to tlie United States, and, after v'isiting several 
places, settled in Jefferson County, where he 
resided until his death. His wife, whom he 
married before coming to this country, was 
also a native of the north of Ireland. The 
grandfather bought considerable land and was 
a prosperous farmer. He was a Republican, 
but never sought ofifice. 

James H. Morrison's father, Robert Morri- 
son, recei\etl a common-school education. 
He worked on his father's farm in Jefferson 
County until he was thirty years of age. He 
next engaged in the lumber business at Ran- 
dallsville, Jefferson County, where he bought 
2~,o acres of timber land, cleared oft' the tim- 
ber, and rafted it down to Pittsburg. He con- 
tinued at that business for seven years, or 
until .\ugust 2j. 1861, when he enlisted in 
Company H, 105th Reg., Pa. A'ol. Inf. He 
served in the army for two years, and then 
re-enlisted. As his regiment was going into the 
battle of The Wilderness, on j\lay 12, 1865, 
I\Ir. Morrison remarked to a comrade beside 
him: "If we win this battle we'll soon be 
going home." His words, in one sense, were 
prophetic, so far as they related to himself. 
He was instantly killed by a bullet. Thus was 
a loving husband and father cut down in the 
prime of life, while engaged in defending his 
go\-ernment, and liattling for the freedom of a 
down-trodden race. Mr. ^lorrison's wife was 
a daughter of William and Nancy (Scott) 
Brown, who were natives of Clarion County. 
Pa. To them were born five children, as fol- 



lows: James H., the su1)ject of this sketch; 

William Ambrose; Robert Alilton; Samuel 
Scott; and Xancy Emeline. William is a lum- 
berman in Jefferson County, Pa.; Samuel is 
also a lumberman, residing in ^b)ntana; J(jhn 
is a conductor on the Chicago, Rock Island 
& Pacific Railroad; and Nancy Emeline is the 
wife of Cecil Gross of Marienville, Pa. 

The subject hereof, James H. Morrison, 
was twehe vears of age when his father was 
killed by a rebel bullet. He remained with his 
mother — the other children being placed in an 
orphans' school — and assisted in the manage- 
ment of the farm, also attending the common 
school. In 1868 his mother married Patter- 
son Leech. For some time James worked as a 
carpenter with his stepfather, following that 
trade for about se\en \-ears, and doing much 
important contract work. Subsequently he 
went to the Bradford oil field, where he en- 
gaged in "rigging" wells for about two years. 
He then returned to Jeft'erson County, bought 
a farm and cleared it. In 1884 he removed 
to Marienxille and engaged in the lumber 
business, which he has since followed with 
gratifying success. He tlid business alone 
until 1896, when he formed a copartnership 
with O. J. Blanchard. which has continued up 
to the present writing. 

On March 18, 1897, Mr. Morrison suffered 
a stroke of j^aralysis, which completely dis- 
abled his left side. He has since been con- 
fined to his home nearly all the time. This 
misfortune, coming when he was in his prime 
and was nearing the zenith of an uncommonly 
successful l)usiness career, paralyzed in large 
degree a life which has been verv active, and 



424 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



wliicli has been dewjtcd to many noble jiur- 
l)oses. 

Politically, the subject of tiiis sketch is a 
Republican, and h;is served as school direc- 
tor, althoui^h he ne\er sous^ht oflice. Mr. 
Morrison is a liberal supporter of the Chited 
Presbyterian Church. 

On A\)v\\ 6, 1876, .Mr. Morrison was united 
in niarriai^e to l\lixabeth Thompson. daus.;"h- 
ter of janies R. ;ind .Margaret (McGill) 
'rh(ini]ison. .Mr. Thonipson was a farmer, and 
he ;uid his wife reared si.\ chihlren: Klizal)eth, 
wife of the subject heix'of: Mari^aret, jNlary. 
janics, .\nnie, and Sanuiel, all of whom are 
deceased excepting- Elizabeth and Margaret. 
To Mr. and Mrs. Morrison have been given 
ten children, as follows: Eldora Margaret; 
Martha Elsie; Robert Irving; James G. Blaine; 
.\nnie Grace, who died in infancy; George 
Loraine; Janet Hazel; Fay Emogene, de- 
ceased; Walter Evan; and Sara Katharine. 




hLJ>S()N G. COLE, who is engaged in 
general farming and dairying in Green 
-township, h'orest County, Pa., has 
been a well-known man upon the Alleghenv 
River for many )ears. He ser\ed in the ca- 
pacity of jobber, stocking many mills, and 
was also engaged in the manufacture of 
square timber and railroad ties, lie is a man 
of excellent business ability and has been de- 
cidedly successful in his business life. He is 
a son of Daniel and Lucinda (Green) Cole, 
and was born in \enango County, Pa., in 
1848. 

Daniel Cole, the father of the subject here- 



of, was born in Ireland in iHid, ;md while still 
an infant came to this country with his father, 
settling in Venango County, Pa. llis father 
was one of the earliest settlers in that county 
and there pm-chascd three hundred acres of 
wild land, upon which he made a clearing and 
built himself a house. He followed farming 
and also worked in the Phi])|)s' furnaces. Dan- 
iel recei\ed ;i primary education in the schools 
of W'uaugo Counl\' ami mo\ed tti I""orest 
Count\- in 1840. IK- purchased ido acres of 
wild land, and after making a clearing, erect- 
ed a frame house and barns. There he en- 
gaged in general farming until 1865, when his 
wife Ijought her father's propert_\' in lu'ie 
County, i'a., consisting of one hundred and 
four acres, and he resided upon this estate 
until his death, in 1888, aged seventy-two 
years. He was joined in matrimonial bonds 
with Lucinda Cireen, a daughter of Ezekiel 
Green, who was one of the first to locate in 
Forest County, anil the following children 
were born to them: Albert, who died in in- 
fancy; James \\ .. a farmer at IMarienville; Nel- 
son G.. the sul)iect hereof; Jesse, who died 
aged six \ears; .M:u'y, who died at tlie age of 
ten years; Sarah (Whitney), deceased; Clinton 
P., a merchant in Indianapolis; JMlith 
(Drake); l-dizabeth (Lenox); and Emma W., 
who died in infancy. Politically, Mr. Cole 
was a su])])orter of the ])rinciples of the Demo- 
cratic party. 

Nelson G. Cole recei\ed an elementary ed- 
ucatit)n in the public schools of Forest 
County, and, as there were few schools there 
at that time and they sadly deficient, his edu- 
cation at the best was but limitetl. L'pon 




DA\ lU \V. BEATY. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



427 



leaving school he entered upon work in tlie 
saw mill of Mr. W'oodside and continued for 
the \ears, lieconiing a \ery cle\'er workman 
and capable of hlliii,;^- any position in connec- 
tion with the work, lie then went intt) the 
woods as a jobber, and this work made it nec- 
essary for him to accpiaint himself with the 
river. In 1871 he took down his first fleet as 
pilot, and ran the raft successfully to Pitts- 
burg. In addition to his other work he con- 
tinued on the river until 1897 antl made as 
high as twenty tri])s a year. He was also en- 
gaged in the manufacture of square timber 
and was \ery successful in that line. In 1894 
he purchased two farms, one owned by Mr. 
Robb and the other by Colonel Drain, both 
early pioneers. It is composed of 131 acres, 
and, although he began to cultivate it as late 
as 1897, he has cleared 40 acres and is making 
preparations to run a model stock farm. He 
has at present some very fine cattle, but is 
steadily improving the strain and increasing 
the stock. He does general farming and 
dairying and is still engaged in the manufac- 
ture of railroad ties. The house in which 
he lives is a modern house in every respect, 
having been built by him four years ago, and 
his outl)uildings are all good and substantially 
constructed. He has a fine ]ioultry-house, 
liogliouse and ;i uni(|ue corn crib, being a 
comliination corn crib and wagon-house. 

Mr. Cole was united in marriage with 
Emil\- J. Allison, a native of Forest County, 
and they have three children: Ray A., Beebe 
E.. and one which has not been named. He 
is independent in ])olitics, and has served as 
road coimnissioner. member of the school 



board and as school treasurer. He is a Free 
Methodist, and a contributor to the sup- 
port of all churches. He is a member of 
Tionesta Lodge, No. 369, I. O. O. F. 



.WID W. BEATY, a prosperous and 
ig ■ enterprising business man of Warren, 
Pa., who resides in the handsome old 
homestead erected by his father, is i)resident 
of the Warren Street Railway. His father was 
David Beaty, who during his day was a promi- 
nent oil producer on Oil Creek, near Titus- 
ville. Pa., Init spent the last years of his life 
in Warren. He is a grandson of William 
Beaty, Jr., and a great-grandson of William 
Beaty. 

William Beaty was a native of Scotland, but 
came to this country at an early day, and 
located at Newburgh, N. Y., a borough situ- 
ated on the Hudson River. In 1808 he 
moved to Beaver County, Pa., and there spent 
the remainder of his life. He was the father 
of four sons and three daughters, the eldest 
being \\'illiam, Jr., who was born in Xew- 
burgh. X. Y., in 1764. The latter became a 
soldier in the War of 1812, and was stationed 
at Erie, Pa., throughout the struggle. He 
moved to Beaver County. Pa., and there fol- 
lowed farming n)Uil his death, June 5, 1858. 
His wife. Mary, who was of Irish parentage, 
and a daughter of David Clark, died in 1868. 
Religiously, they favored the Presbyterian 
Church, and in political belief he was a su])- 
porter of the Democratic party. 

David Beat}-, the father of our subject, was 
born in Beaver Count\-, Pa., October 26. 



428 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



i8ii. l)eing the sixth child born to his par- 
ents, with wliom he Hved until he reached the 
age of nineteen years. He tiien started out 
in life on his own account, having- the insig- 
nificant sum of $1.75, and walked a distance of 
130 miles to Chaulaucjua County, X. V.. where 
he was engaged in fanning during the follow- 
ing ft)ur years, lie then returned to reiuisyl- 
\ auia, and engaged in lumbering in the forests 
about Tioncsta, Forest County, then a por- 
tion of Warren County, for five years. After 
this he went to West Hickory, near Tidioute, 
Warren County, and there followed farming 
in connection with the i)ursuits of his former 
occui)ation. At the time of the oil excite- 
ment, he mo\cd to Crawford County, near the 
village of Titusville. and operated in petro- 
leum on Oil Creek. He met with success from 
the very first, and in a short time his business 
was on a firm, financial basis; he enlarged it 
by degrees, and was reckoned among the 
prominent oil producers of the district. He 
also became a large land owner, possessing 
some 500 acres in Warren County, and a tract 
of 4,000 acres of farm land in Dakota. He 
nuned to the borough of Warren in the year 
1S73. where he had but a short time pre\-i- 
ously erected a fine house, and in this he lived 
until his demise, in October. 1889. He was 
joined in hymeneal bonds with Abigail iMead. 
a daughter of Joseph Mead, and they were the 
parents of three children, as follows: David 
W.: ( )rris W., a record of whose life also ap- 
pears in this work, and .\lbert 1!.. who died 
September 20, 1851. 

David W. Beaty attended the district 
schools of West Hickorv. where he was born 



in 1859, after which he was a pujMl in the 
academies at Warren and Lancaster. He took 
a course in I'^astman's lousiness College, after 
which he was associated in business with his 
father until that gentleman's retirement. He 
has since resided in Warien. where he is i<len- 
tdied with many business \entures. and ranks 
among the leading citizens of the borough. 
He was one of the organizers of the Warren 
National Bank, and has since been a director. 
In 1896, he was chosen to the jiresidency of 
the Warren Street Railway, in which capacity 
he now serves. The duties of that ofifice he 
has faithfully discharged, as is indicated liy the 
flourishing condition of the corporation. He 
is a man of high principles and zealous public 
spirit, and has always devoted his influence 
to the best interests of Warren. In 1885, Mr. 
Beaty married Susie E. Jackson and they re- 
side on the old homestead. They have three 
children: Milton; Helen, and David. Mr. 
Beaty's portrait accompanies this sketch of his 
life. 




KLANCTHON MILES, deceased, 
was born in Warren County, Pa., 
-January 16, 1830. He was a son 
of David Miles, who was the first white chiUl 
born in. Warren County. I'a. I )a\'id received 
his education at the Warren public schools, 
after which he followed the profession of 
teaching for a number of years. Discontinu- 
ing that, he engaged in the huuber business, 
and continued working at that mitil quite an 
old man. being about se\-enty years old at the 
time of his death. 

Melancthon Aliles was educated principally 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



429 



in the scliools of Warren, I)ut completed his 
education l)y [irixate inslnictioii, which was 
continued until In- had attained the age of 
sixteen }-ears. lie then joined his father in 
the lumber business, remaining with him the 
following fi\e or six years, at the expiration 
of which ]ieri(jd he went into business on his 
own account as a contractor of lumber jobs, 
handling some \'ery large contracts in lumber- 
ing. Tlie first contract secured by him was 
one dealing with about a million logs. He did 
the running and marketing of these logs from 
beginning to end. He continued the contract- 
ing of lumber jobs for about five years, and 
subsequent!}' engaged in the mercantile busi- 
ness, both wliolesale and retail, for about six 
years. He was possessed with a desire to 
study law. which he accordingly did, and in 
1870 engaged in the practice of his profession 
mider the firm name of Wilbur & Miles, Mr. 
Wilbur joining him as a partner. He con- 
tinued in the legal profession and met with a 
marked tlegree of success uj) to the time of his 
death, which occurred April 11. 1881. 

Mr. Miles was elected comity commissioner 
in 1864, and while holding that office the 
Rouse hospital building was erected. He had 
the honor of selecting the ground and super- 
vising the whole aft'air. He served as count}' 
commissioner for nine xears. receiving his 
first appointment March 5. 1804, and his re- 
appointment March 6, 1869. He served two 
terms as justice of the peace. He also served 
as burgess of Warren borough for two terms. 
In his ])olitical afiiliatioiis he was a ihorough 
l\ein;blican. and rendered considerable as 
sistance to that i)art\' in nolilical campaigns. 



His life partner was Jane Oridge, a daugh- 
ter of John Oridge of Chautauqua County, 
Xew \'ork. Their marriage was celebrated 
Sc])temi)er 20, 1850. llis widow and three 
daughters sur\'i\'e him and mourn his demise. 
The daughters' names are: Dora; Viola, and 
Mar_\'. Dora was liorn ()ctober t), 1851; she 
became the wife of James Mair, f)f Warren, 
Pa., and has borne him one daughter, hdla 
Blanche. \'iola was born .April 19, 1864, and 
became the wife of Saniuel McKenney, of 
rittsburg. They have two sons: Clarence and 
William. Mary was born May 20, i860. She 
married William W'allace Rankin, of Warren, 
Pa. (Jne daughter. Ji)sci>lnne. came to bright- 
en their home. 

In his earliest days Mr. Miles associated 
himself with the ^Methodist Church, but at a 
later period he was an attendant of the Pres- 
byterian Church. He was a charter member 
of the I. O. O. F. of Warren. 



(^JY LFRED D. NEILL, the leading drug- 
A"A gist of Forest County, Pa., and one of 

V.^^the foremost and most progressive 
business men of Marien\ille. was born in 
Neilltown, Forest County, in 1859. He is a 
son of William P.. and Susan (White) Xeill. 

Thomas Xeill. the paternal grandfather of 
our subject, was a lifelong farmer. The in- 
completeness of the family records prevents 
a more extended review of his life. 

William P.. Xeill. father of the subject of 
this review. le;u-ued the blacksmith's trade 
when (pnte voung and followed blacksmith- 
ing for the major part of his business career. 



430 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



For twenty }'cars he plied liis trade in Gar- 
land. \\'arren County. I'a. lie had a good 
practical education and also possessed good 
executive ahility, so that he was called upon 
to ser\e in several inijiortant ]nil)lic offices, 
whicli he administered with credit to himself. 
He is a Democrat and always adhered to the 
])rincii)les of the Democratic jiarty. I\Ir. Neil' 
is now residing with his son, the suhject of 
this l)iogra])hical sketch. The family of 
Thomas Xeill consisted of the following chil- 
dren: Sarah T),. who married James White, 
a hrother of the mother of oiu" suhject: Mar- 
garet, who married a Mr. lllack; William B., 
tlie father oi our sul)ject: Smith S. : A. J.; 
James W.; Thomas D. ; and several who died 
in infancy. The father of our subject was 
united in marriage to Susan White, a native 
of Warren County, and a member of one of 
the pioneer families of that county. To them 
were born three children, as follows: Hattie, 
Alfred D. and W'illiam. Hattie. who married 
W'illiam K. Kidder, of ^^'arren (now de- 
ceased), had one chiKl. who, with Mrs. Kid- 
der, now resides with Alfred D., the subject 
of this sketch. William died at the age of two 
\ears. The mother of our subject has passed 
to her fmal rest. 

Alfred D. Neill attended the common 
schools in Warren County, and also the 
Youngsville Graded School and the Lake 
Shore Seminary at Xorth East. Pa. At the 
age of eighteen years he finished his school- 
ing and then taught for two terms in Warren 
County. He then went into the oil regions 
near Bradford, where he followed various oc- 
cupations for a year. Next he was a clerk in 



a hotel at Irvineton, Warren County, for a 
year; then returned to (larland and clerked 
in a drug store owned by C. S. Morris, for 
whom lie worked four years. He then bought 
an interest and the business was continued as 
a copartnership, Mr. Neill taking full charge 
of it. In 1888 Mr. Neill sold his interest in 
the drug store and removed to Marienville, 
where he rented a small store, which stood 
where his present handsome block now 
stands. In 1895. "i connection with Dr. A. E. 
Stonecipher, he bought the old building, tore 
it down, and erected the modern two-story 
business block in which he now does business. 
The building is 40 by 66 feet and contains two 
large stores and the upper story is devoted to 
an opera-house fitted with every convenience 
for theatrical performances. 

In addition to his business Mr. Neill is ex- 
tensively interested in real estate. He pays 
strict attention to his drug business and has 
one of the largest and most modern drug 
stores in Forest County. He carries a large 
stock of drugs; makes a specialty of physi- 
cians' supplies, and also deals in books, sta- 
tionery, wallpaper, paints, l)icycles and fancy 
goods. He is interested in manv of the most 
important enterprises in Marienville and has 
always been active in every movement to ad- 
\-ance the commercial interests of the town. 
He is the head of the firm of Neill, Hamilton 
& Company, wholesale dealers in lumber; he 
is the junior partner of Morris & Neill, man- 
ufacturers of lumber. The firm own a tract of 
timber land embracing i.ooo acres, and have 
three mills on Tionesta Creek, one a circular- 
saw lumber mill with a capacity of 20,000 feet 




KDWIN W. THOMPSON. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



433 



per day and two shingle mills with a capacity 
of 50.000 shingles i)er day. The firm's prin- 
cipal markets are in Western Pennsylvania 
and Ohio: he is a member of the Forest Lum- 
ber Company, located at Maple Creek, which 
owns 1,000 acres of timljer land, and has a mill 
with a capacity of 35,000 feet of lumber per 
day: lie is also interested in tlie Marienville 
Gas Company. 

Mr. Xeill was united in marriage on Feb- 
ruary 21, 1893. to Clara Simpson, a daughter 
of James and Rosanna Sini])son, of Scotch 
Hill. Clarion County, Pa. They had one 
child. .Vlfred G. Mrs. Neill died February 15, 
1896. 

In politics Mr. Neill is a Re])ublican and 
has served in se\'eral township otifices, al- 
tliough he never has been an aspirant for pub- 
lic honors. Religiously, he favors the Pres- 
byterian Church. His wife was a Methodist. 
Mr. Neill is a prominent member of the I. O. 
O. F. 



E^ DWIN W. THOMPSON, the most 
enterprising man in, and one of the most 
»-^ prominent citizens of, Pine Grove 
township, Warren County, Pa., whose ])or- 
trait we take pleasure in presenting on the op- 
posite page, not only owns and operates a 
large lumbering plant at Russell, but also a 
large grist mill at the same place. In 1884, 
Mr. Thompson purchased the water privilege, 
and built the large saw and ])laning mills now 
standing at Russell. These mills are among 
the largest and best in the district, and are 
fitted out with all the latest improved machin- 



ery, and all the labor-saving devices that can 
possibly be obtained. The ])lant turns out 
large (juantities of hemlock, ])inc, hardwood, 
and all kinds of finished lumber, — strictly first- 
class, — which is shipped to l^ittsburg and the 
neighboring cities, where it finds a ready mar- 
ket. After the erection of these mills, Mr. 
Thompson saw the necessity of owning tim- 
ber lands, so he purchased large tracts of for- 
est lands in Pine Grove and adjoining town- 
ships, and also in New York State. Thus, by 
his foresight, he secured material enough to 
insure the successful operation of his mills for 
many years to come. In 1897, Mr. Tliomi)- 
son built one of the finest grist mills in \\'ar- 
ren County. The rapidity with which this mill 
was completed shows at once the unlimited 
amount of energy which our subject possesses. 
The entire mill, which is four stories high, 
was completed in just sixty days, and is 
equipped with the most improved machinery 
obtainable, for grinding feed, buckwheat and 
rye flour. The products of the mill are the 
finest made in the whole district. The good 
people of Russell do not fail to appreciate the 
location, in their midst, of these vast enter- 
prises, which furnish employment for so many 
men, and Mr. Thompson is justl_v deserving of 
their esteem and appreciation. 

Edwin \\'. Thompson was born in Pine 
Gro\e. near I*"armington township, \\'arren 
County, in 1835. He is a son of William P. 
Thoiii])son, grandson of William S. K. 
Thompson, and great-grandson of Josiali 
Thompson. Josiah Thompson was born in 
Scotland, whence he came to .\merica, set- 
tling in the state of Connecticut, where he 



43-1 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



cleared a farm and engaged in agricultural 
pursuits. Upon this farm William S. R. 
Thompson was born in 1785. and obtained 
his earh' schooling in his nati\e district. 
When he attained the age of fifteen years, he 
left home and went to lloslon. ostensibly to 
learn the ship-car|)enler"s trade. Wdiile there 
lie worked for ■"liili" Grav. the first millionaire 
in America. After following his chosen call- 
ing for about ten vears in the citv of Boston, 
Air. Thiimpson renuued in Xew ^'ork (itv, 
where he again worked at a similar occujja- 
titin. About 1799 he was united in marriage 
with Sally Polmetier. a daughter of JdIui f'ol- 
melier. a nati\e of llulland. who sought a 
Itouic in America, locating at I'dughkeeiisie, 
Xew York. 

W illiam S. I\. 'riiom])son and his bride 
mo\ed to Oneen's County, X. \'.. where the 
husband continued the shi])-car])enter's trade 
until 1832. By that time he and his amiable 
wife were surrounded b\- the numerous family 
of ten children, six of whom were sons. 1 1 ear- 
ing of the wonderful advantages olitained by 
going westward and ])urchasing land whicii 
was cheap, he decided to lea\e .Xew ^'ork. and 
seek a hduie where his sous would ha\e a bet- 
ter chance in life. .Vccordinglw taking his 
family, with the exceptiou of one of his sons 
who had ali'ead\- found a desirable location in 
Western Pennsylvania, he started out, going 
directly to Pine Gro\e, now I'^armington. 
townshi[), Warren (.'onntw Pa., where his son 
William P., father of our subject, had locatetl 
in 1829. 

Mr. Thompson purchased 130 acres of land 
iri Warren Conutw all hea\il\' tind)ered; he 



cleared the land, with the assistance of his 
sons, also wcuking at the carpenter's trade, 
lie was \ery acti\e all his life, and died on the 
homestead farm in 1S50. at the age of sixty- 
i\w' years, lli^ wife sur\i\ed hiin six years 
and died at the age of sexeuty years. Their 
children were: William P.. Sanniel, Maria, 
naniel. J<ihn, j.ames, lietsy. Harriet, Cieorge 
and Sally. William V. was the father of our 
subject. Samuel married .\nge1ine Putnam, a 
dauglUer of Daniel Putnam, one of the early 
settlers and pioneers of Warren Countw and 
four children blessed their union: Walter, who 
married Alartha Love, a daughter of Jesse 
Love, and has three children, — Clarence, ALiy. 
and Samuel, .\lfred, the second child, married 
limma Lyon, a daughter of l\oderick Lyon. 
riie third child of Samuel was IClmer, whose 
tirst wife, Clara .\shton, bore him one 
child, llis second wife was Abbie Stanton, 
daughter of John Stanton, and she bore iiim 
five children. Louisa, the fourth child of Sam- 
uel, became the wife of S\l\cster Clark and 
bore him foiu" children. Maria married Lat- 
k-n P.irker. Their famil\- consisted of ti\e chil- 
dren. ;is follows: C harles; John: llem'v; lli- 
ram. and Louisa. Daniel marrieil .\mia 
Knap]). Their union was blessed with four 
children. nameK': Turzah: .\nna: William, 
;nid .Mah.aly. John secured for his wife 
and life companion Cr;ilia Tujiper. Their 
union was prolific of seven children, whose 
names are: Katherine; Olix-e: .\aron: Charles; 
.Sarah: I'.ertha. and Edith. James was 
twice married. Ifis first wife, h'liza Putnam, 
dausjhter of h"dson Putnam, bore him two 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



435 



cliildren, l)Otli of whom died. I lis second wife, 
Lucy Leat, a daughter of J. 1). Leat of Ma)'- 
ville, N. Y., bore him the following three cliil- 
dren: Amanda: Minnie, and S.arah. Ketsy l)e- 
came the wife of Dorastus llatcli, whose 
father was among the earliest -settlers of the 
county. Three children, William. Dora and 
^■Mice, blessed their union. Harriet married 
Elijah Saddler, and their family consisted of 
eight children: Stillman: Louisa; Alahlou; 
Lavern; Jane; Manford, and two who died. 
George married l*"aimie I'ralt. a daughter of 
Adam Pratt, of Sag Harbor, Long Island, 
New N'ork. SalK' married Sanuiel Ma\be. 
Two children blessed their union, one of 
whom died, and the other, (iill, resides in 
Kane, Pa. 

William P. Thompson, father of our subject, 
was born in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, 
N. v., in 1807, and accom])anied his ])arents to 
Queen.s Count}-, X. ^'.. where he received his 
early schooling. At the age of twelve years, 
he went to sea and remained on board differ- 
ent vessels, in the occupation of a sailor, until 
1829, when he migrated to Farmington town- 
ship, Warren County, Pa., and bought a farm. 
This fariu consisted of 140 acres of land, and 
after li\ing there a few \ears and clearing a 
]jortion of the land, he sold out and went to 
Michigan. After residing in that stale a nuiu- 
bcr of years, he returned to Warren County 
in 1870, and speiU the remain<lcr of his life 
with his son, Edwin W. Thom])son, the sub- 
ject of this sketch. His death occurred in 
1894. He chose for his life comjianiou, Lucin- 
(la Tupper, a daughter of Hazel Tupiter. who 
raidvcd among the pioneers of the couiUv. 



Their union was blessed with the following six 
children: Malindia, married J. W. Van Zile, 
and three children blessed their home; Edwin 
W.. subject of this sketch; bVecman, who died 
yonug; Jane, wife of (ieorge .Merchant, and 
mother of one child, which died in infancy; 
Henry, who married .\rvillie Montague, and 
lost two children; Sidnex'. who married Etta 
Jones, and their hoiue is brightened with one 
daughter, Lou, and one son, Rav. 

Edwin W. Thrjmpson recei\ed his early 
meiUal training in his natix'e townshi]), and at 
the age of fourteen years, being the eldest 
child, he was obliged to look after things on 
the fariu. as his father was away from home a 
great deal, working at the carpenter's 
and joiner's trade. Edwin continued to 
manage things on the farm until he 
attained the age of twenty-two \ears. when 
he started into business for himself, fdis 
first Inisiness \eture was splitting shin- 
gles, which he followed for about two 
_\'ears and then pm-chased a large tract of tim- 
ber, and l)uilt a shingle mill. He built the luill 
in 18^)3. in Pine (irdve tnwnship, where his 
land was situated. A short time afterwards he 
erected a saw mill on Satterly Run. This was 
the first circidar saw mill ever built on that 
side of the Allegheny l\i\er. and cost Mr. 
Thom])Son the round sum of $10,000. At that 
time there were no roads in that section of the 
couiUry, and no house within three miles of 
these mills. The subject of this sketch was 
then obliged to cut his own roads in order to 
get the machinery in w here he wanted it. The 
lumber used in the construction was all hewn 



436 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



out. Tlic pcowcr lie used was au over-shot 

water wlieel. 

lu i8C)" 'Air. 'I'liouipson sold his jdant 
to Thomas Hriggs, and then removed to Rus- 
sell, wiiere lie engatjcd in lumbering. Some 
time previous to this, in 1854. he had taken his 
first trij) down the ri\er and after 18^13. he had 
run rafts of his o\\ n. While he knew the river 
perfectly, he alwaxs hired a pilot, and his lum- 
ber was principally marketed in Pittsburg, and 
other places dow n the ( )hio Ki\cr, — some 
1)eing sent as far as Louis\iIle, Kentucky. Mr. 
Thompson always accomj^anied his rafts, and 
m;iny times walked back the entire distance, — 
often walking 50 or 60 miles in a day. On his 
rafts he always acted as cabler. which was a 
very dangerous ])osition. .\fter selling his 
mills and removing to Russell, he continued 
lumbering at the latter ])lace until 1S84. when 
he established the present plant, described in 
the beginning of this article. Mr. Thompson 
owns a fine, large residence situated near his 
mills, and also two fine tenement houses in 
Russell. In addition to this he has a beautiful 
cottage at Celoron, Chautau(|ua County. New 
York, a noted summer resort. 

Mr. Thompson is a valued member of the I. 
O. O. F. and is past grand master of the A. 
O. I'. \\'.: he is inde])endenl in politics and 
has ser\c(l as town commissioner for three 
terms, and as school director for seven years. 
In his religious views he is broad and liberal, 
and has no favorite denomination. Mr. 
Thomi^son richly deserves high commenda- 
tion for his energy and the remarkable success 
of his varied enterprises, which would be an 
honor to any community. 



§AMES T. ROSE, who has for many 
vears cfHicientlv acted as justice of the 
jjeace in the thrixing town of Marien- 
ville, Forest Count)', I'a., is one of the solid 
and thorough business men of that town and 
is well looked upon by all in the community. 
He is a son of Ceorge and Lodema (Gates) 
Rose, and was born June 7. 1845, in Potter 
County, Pa. 

Cleorge W. Rose, father of the subject here- 
of, was formerly a farmer and hotel-keeper, 
but upon his removing to Forest County, in 
1853, he located on a farm of 103 acres, two 
and onedialf miles southeast of what is now 
Marien\illc. This farm he purchased with the 
intention of following agricultural pursuits, 
but, being a man of more than ortlinary edu- 
cational attainments, his ser\ices were sought 
for elsewhere and he was prevailed upon to 
accejit the position of commissioner's clerk, 
which he did. This position began his active 
political career in Forest County and he 
served in the capacity of clerk for one year, 
w hen the citizens of that district, realizing the 
worth and ability of Mr. Rose, nominated him 
on the Uc'.uocratic ticket for the office of pro- 
thonotar\-. to w hich he was later elected. For 
nine consecutive \ears he helil this position 
and at the ex])irati()n oi that time he was 
elected comit\' superintendent of schools and 
.serxed six years. Then he became acting 
count\- treasurer ftir C. J. Fox and John G. 
Brandon, and at the time of his demise he 
was acting as justice of the peace. His death 
occurred in 1893. and it was said that no man 
e\er ser\ed the county more conscientiously 
and laithfullv than did Mr. Rose, and when 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



437 



he died all felt that the county had lost one 
of its most upright and truthful citizens. He 
married Lodema Gates and four children 
blessed this union, as follows: Isabella. Anna, 
Elizabeth and James T. Isabella married 
Warren P. Mercilliott, who is now deceased. 
His widow resides in Maricnxille and was the 
mother of six children, namely: Earnest F.; 
Nettie; George K.: \'ennie: lilizabeth; and 
James ^\^ All of the children arc married, 
with the exception of the last named, who re- 
sided with his mother. Anna married John 
DeHaven and resides in McKeesport, Pa., 
and the\- are the parents of five children — 
Maud, George, James, Arthur and Harry — 
all of whom are living. Elizabeth tlied April 
9. 1889. 

James T. Rose, whose name heads this 
sketch, was but eight years old when his fa- 
ther located in Forest County. There he con- 
tinued his schooling, and, after acquiring a 
good education, he took cliarge of the farm 
purchased by his father, where he has since 
lived, the political duties of the latter keeping 
him mostly absent from home. Our subject 
proved his ability to carry on the business 
connected with a large farm, and. in addi- 
tion, engaged in the lumbering business. 
When Mr. Rose was six years old, his mother 
having died, his father married for the second 
time. The lady's name was Harriet Brown, 
of Sheffield, Warren County, and she was the 
mother of two children — Timothy, who re- 
sides in Michigan, where he is agent for the 
Indiana & Grand Rajjids R. R., and Eliza, 
who died at the age of four years. 

Upon the death of his fatlier Mr. Rose was 



appointed to fill the unexpired term, but on 
February 8, 1894, he was elected to the office, 
and that, too, in a town where the Republican 
majority is from 120 to 150 votes. Since that 
time he has constantly been in office, and in 
February, 1899, he was re-elected for a term 
of five years. Mr. Rose is a strong Demo- 
crat and at all times can be found in the ranks 
fighting for the irUerests of his party, both in 
local and state alYairs. He has also held the 
offices of auditor, road commissioner and 
other townshi]) offices, in religion he is a 
liberal supporter (>f all churches, though not 
a member of any one. Mr. Rose has seen 
Marienville grow from a wild, uncultivated 
place into the largest and most progressive 
town in the count}', and he has done all in his 
power to further its interests. Of a frank and 
cordial disposition, he has made many friends 
in the vicinitv and is known by all to be a man 
worthy of the confidence and trust reposed in 
him. 



(^Tr'LFRED R. MOORE, one of the oldest 
f^A and most highly respected citizens of 
^ V.^ Warren Count}-. Pa., has for man}- 
years occupied an important place in the 
hearts of his fellow-citizens. He is a man of 
sound judgment and splendid business (piali- 
ties and has always taken an active and deep 
interest in the welfare of his native town. He 
was born in Beaver, Beaver County, Pa., in 
1819. and is a son of Robert and Mary (Stibbs) 
Moore and grandson of Henry Moore. 

Henry Moore was born in Dublin, Ireland, 
and was a well known pliysician of that city. 
He came to .\merica, landing in Baltimore. 



438 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Md.. and settlins;- in W'asliiiis^ton CcniiUy. Pa., 
ulicrc lie 1)(Hii;ln four liunilred acres of wild 
land and. aflcr clcarint^- the tract, dc-votcd his 
time to farming. At that time the eountv was 
full of Indians. Henry Moore lived to he 
cight_\-four years old. and died in Washington 
County. He had reared .si.x children, as fol- 
lows: Daniel; Rohert: William, and three 
daughters. Airs, f.eet; Mrs. Carter: and Mrs. 
Bentley. 

Rohert Moore, the father of our sultject, 
was horn in Washington Counts' in 1777. and 
was a \ery successful attornev. being a mem- 
1)er of the 15111. and also of the I'lth Con- 
gress, lie received his education at Jeffer- 
son College. \\'ashington Countw when 
that well known institution was housed 
in a log building, and afterward took a 
law course and was admitted to the Beaver 
County Bar: he also practiced before 
the Butler and Mercer County bars. In 1830 
he was elected a member of the legislature to 
obtain an appropriation to build a canal, and 
was successful. He was alwax's an active poli- 
tician, and e\er a stanch member of the Dem- 
ocratic party. He held several political offices. 
He married Mary Stibbs, a daughter of Josejih 
and Henrietta M. Stibbs. She was born at 
Brownsville, Pa., receiving her education in 
Washington ComU\'. Her father, Jose[)h 
Stibl)s, was born in England, and after coming 
to America became a prosperous tailor at 
Brownsville, Pa. Our subject's parents reared 
several children, namely: Jose])]i. attorney- 
at-lavv, a graduate of Washington College: 
Henry, civil engineer, who received his educa- 
tion in Washington College; Alfred R.. the 



subject of this sketch: Franklin, a Methodist 
h^piscojial minister, and graduate of \\'ashing- 
ton College: .Maria: Elizabeth, wife of Judge 
.Agnew; Caroline: and Amanda, deceased wife 
of Mr. liartcr. whose son, AI. D. Harter. was 
Democratic Congressman from Mansfield. 
Ohio. The father of our subject died in 1831. 
at the age of fifty-four years. 

Alfred R. Moore, whose name heads this 
sketch, received his primary education in 
Beaver, Pa., and finished at Washington, Pa., 
under Prof. John L. Gow. After leaving col- 
lege, he followed mercantile pursuits for a 
short time. Init w hen the canal was built he ob- 
tained the position of rod- and chain- 
man, then became assistant engineer, and, 
by diligence and perse\'erance, gradually 
reached the top, and was given entire 
charge of Hartstown division in fiercer 
and Crawford counties. He became a 
splendid civil engineer, and steadily rose 
in the profession. His next position was 
that of superintendent of a canal in Indiana, 
but he sul)secjuently returned to Beaver Coun- 
ty and accepted a position as clerk on a steam- 
boat, becoming afterwards the owner of two 
boats. He was a captain on the river for nine- 
teen years, but gave up that position for that 
of store keeper and ganger in the internal rev- 
enue ofifice, which he ke])t for nine years, re- 
signing during Clexeland's first administra- 
tion. 

Mr. Moore served one term as justice of 
peace at the county seat of Beaver Comity. 
He went to Canton, Ohio, where he accepted 
a i)osition as liookkeeiier in the Canton Bank, 
retaining this for two vears. In 1868 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



lie accepted a position as cashier for 

the Economitc Societ}' and went to Tid- 
ioute, Warren Connt\', to attend to tliat 
company's large oil and luniljer inter- 
ests. He served in that responsible po- 
sition for five years, when he went into the 
internal revenue ofiRce in 1873. He married 
first, Jane Small, who was born and educated 
in Beaver County, Pa., and was the daughter 
of Colonel Henry Small, a hero in the War of 
1812. They reared eight children, as follows: 
Robert, Alfred S., Edwin, Isaac, Thomas, 
Philip, Winfield S. and Anna J. Robert is a 
lawyer and member of the firm of Hice. Wil- 
son & Moore. Alfred S. is an attorney, grad- 
uated from Jefferson College, and practicing 
in Beaver County. Isaac is a graduate of Mil- 
lersville State Normal School, also of the Uni- 
versity of PemisyKania, and a recipient of the 
degree of M. D.; is now in Skaguay, Alaska. 
Winfield S. is a graduate of the Millersville 
State Normal School, and is practicing law in 
Bea\er. Pa. Mr. Moore's second marriage 
was with Elizabeth Richardson, who was born 
and educated in \'enango County. Pa., and 
was a daughter of Samuel ami Elizabeth 
(Proper) Richardson. She was tlie mother of 
two children, Laronia B.. who married Mr. 
Dawson: and Linnie M.. who was born in \'e- 
nango County, educated in Bea\er College. 
taught school one term, and then married 
John S. Breitenstein, to whom she bore two 
children — Harold and Julian. Mr. Breiten- 
stein enlisted at the age of si.xteen in the loth 
Reg., Iowa \'ol., and was with Sherman in his 
march. At present he is in charge of gas 
wells in West \'irginia oil fields. 



Mr. Moore has always given much attention 
to politics and is an active worker in his party. 
He has been county treasurer, clerk of the 
county commissioners, register and recorder, 
and has held various other offices. He is a 
member of the F. & A. M. 




LPHOXZO BECKER, member of the 
firm of Becker & Co., manufacturers 
of hardware and household special- 
ties, is one of the most energetic and enter- 
prising men in Spring Creek, Warren County, 
Pa., and is greatly respected by all in the com- 
munitv. He is a man of high moral stand- 
ing and fine princi])les. and is never known to 
do a wrong act toward any one. ]Mr. Becker 
conies of German and Holland stock, and was 
born October 20. 1844. at Cooperstown. N. 
v.. and is a son of Hiram and Emily A. (Cof- 
fin) Becker. 

Isaac Becker, the paternal grandfather, 
came of German-Holland stock, his ancestors 
being among the first to settle on the Mo- 
hawk River, before Albany had become set- 
tled. Isaac Becker was one of the most promi- 
nent farmers in Schoharie County. N. "N'., 
and always took an active interest in the af- 
fairs of the county. He held many offices — 
at one time being sheriff. His children were: 
John; Hamilton: Hiram: Christie Ann, now 
Mrs. Tobie, living in LaCrosse, Wis.; Mar- 
garet, now Mrs. Ole, of Fulton, N. Y.; Mary 
.\nn Fratts. of Cobleskill, N. Y.; and Char- 
lotte. Hiram Becker, the father of our sub- 
ject, was born August 2, 1819, at Cherry Val- 
ley, N. Y.. but received his schooling at Coop- 



440 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



crstown, N. "S'. After IcaxiuL;- school lie 
bought a farm of 150 acres and started a saw 
and grist mill, continuing there milil he 
moved to ( )hio, and ftillowed farming in that 
state. lie then went to W'aterford, Pa., and 
bought a farm, ha\ing the ])rt)ud distinction 
of owning liie best-kept farm in that district, 
lie married Emily A. Coffin January 17, 1844, 
a daughter of Paul (.'otlin. Mr. I'eckcr was a 
lifedong Democrat, and a nieni1)er of the 
Methodist h'.piscopal Church, aUhough he 
came frt)m an old rresbyterian family. Me 
was also a member of the Grangers' society. 
When his dcalli occurred, March 29, 1889. it 
was much lamented throughout the county, 
for he was a iiian who was a credit to the com- 
munit_\ . and was greatly revered by all for his 
purity of character. 

Alphonzo Becker, the subject of tliis sketch, 
was educated at Frankhn Literary Institute, 
and was graduated in iSqcj. After his aca- 
demic course he taught school for several 
terms, and at an early age married Emma 
Butler, a daughter of John Butler, a promi- 
nent farmer of Cooperstow n. This marriage 
lias been blessed with four children, as fol- 
lows: John H., .\nna, Paul, and Cassie. John 
11. is a tra\eling salesman who was educated 
in the W'aterford .\cadem_\- and after his grad- 
uation from that institution, went into the 
manufacture of household and hardware spe- 
cialties, and then engaged in a chair factory. 
( )wing. ho\\e\cr, to his n;itural abilities as a 
mechanic, he was made manager of his de- 
I)artment. He went into the grocery business 
after his resignation in the chair factory, and, 
although he made a success of that business, 



he sold out to accept his ]iresent position as 
traveling salesman. .\nna was educated in 
the W'aterford .\cademy, and after learning 
the dressmaking trade, went to Erie, Pa., 
where she is now known as the fashionable 
dressmaker of that place. Paul, who is de- 
ceased, was a youth of great promise. He 
was educated in Binghamton, and learned the 
trade of engraving, beconu'ng very jjroficient 
in the art; but death on April 12, 1893, cut 
short a life of splendid prospects. Cassie is 
the \vife of Mr. Da\-is, who is associated with 
her father in the Becker Novelty Compan\-. 

Mr. Becker carried on farming and the lum- 
ber business until 1869, when he sold his 
splendid farm of 51 acres, and went into the 
boot and shoe business, and also the gents' 
furnishing trade, and thus continued until 
1874. He then returned to farming, and was 
very successful as a produce-shipper for fif- 
teen years. In 1891 he opened a store at 
Youngsville. handling all kinds of household 
specialties, but was burned out. He then re- 
turned to Spring Creek, and in June, 1896, 
erected his present place of business, operat- 
ing under the firm name of Becker & Co. The 
firm does an extensive business, making a 
s])ecialt_\' of rat-traps, ami a patent, collapsible 
clothes-rack. Mr. Becker's goods find a ready 
market all over the world, shipping largely to 
Russian and English markets, and, in fact, 
to e\'ery city in the world. Mr. Becker also 
enjoys the distinction of being the only nianu- 
factmxM' of houschohl si)ecialties in the dis- 
trict. IMr. Becker was formerly a Democrat, 
but now votes with the Prohibition party. He 
is an acti\e memljcr of the Methodist Church,' 




BENIAMIN HILL 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



443 



being one of the lioarcl of trustees, and as- 
sistant superintendent of the Sunday School. 
He is a niemlier of tlic Alasonic order, also of 
the [. O. R. M. of Binghamton, N. Y. He 
is a man of splendid literary attainments, and 
a promoter of all educational enterprises. He 
is much looked up to in the county, being 
considered one of the notably enterprising 
men in this part of the state. 




ENJAMIN HILL, one of Tiona's most 
extensive oil producers and an ama- 
teur artist of much skill, w ho has ex- 
ecuted many fine oil paintings, both land- 
scapes and portraits, is a highly respected cit- 
izen and lirst-class business man. He was 
born December 2, 1849, in Cranberry town- 
ship, Butler County, Pa., near what is now 
Ogle P. O. He is a son of I^^ichard Hill. 

Mr. Hill's grandfather was a son of an Eng- 
lish nobleman. He and his brother were pos- 
sessed with an ardent desire to see glorious 
and free America, and, not being granted the 
parental consent, they secreted themselves on 
board a vessel about to sail to American ports 
and did not reveal their presence until the ves- 
sel was well under way. Before leasing, they 
liatl Ijeen al)le to secure a little money, but the 
sailors on Ijoard the \cssel robbed them not 
only of their money, but cut the gold buttons 
off their coats. Thus they landed in Amer- 
ica, poor as could be, with nothing but the 
clothing on their backs, but each had a stout 
iieart and a determined will to not ask for help 
So little has ever l)een said al)out their bra\-e 
struggle for life and how the\' obtainetl their 



start, it is impossible to give exact facts con- 
cerning them, or to relate their adventures. 

Richard llill, the father of our subject, re- 
ceixcd little rli;ince for obtaining an educa- 
tion. 1 lis was a rare nature and his body grew 
so fast that he was six feet tall at the age of 
twelve years. Owing to his large size at an 
early age, more work was expected of him 
than if his growth had been normal. His hell) 
was required at home on the farm at an age 
when he should have been at school, so that 
he attended school but a few weeks, but he 
was determined to secure a fair education. By 
studying at night and spare moments, he pre- 
pared himself to teach school and music, also 
to do surveying, and attained a marked degree 
of success. In the meantime, having much, 
natural talent, he learned the wheelwright's, 
millwright's, and carpenter's trades. He was 
a self-made man in the fullest sense of the 
word, and was somewhat of a genius. In 1857 
he invented a velocipede, but making it as 
he did without the use of steel and having the 
iron parts made l)y a country blacksmith, it 
did not become practical. He was born on 
his father's farm in Westmoreland County, 
Pa., in 1801, and died in 1862 near Geary City, 
Doniphan County, Kansas, where he had lo- 
cated in the spring of 1835. INIary Hutchison 
liecame his wife: she was born in Ireland and 
lived to the good old age of seventy-six years, 
her death occurring in 1895. Their children 
were an infant son, deceased; Richard; Joseph; 
Thomas; Benjamin, the subject of this sketch; 
and Isaac. 

Benjamin Hill lived at his parent's home 
until he was about sexenteen years of age, at- 



444 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



tending the public schools, such as they were, 
about three months each winter. In the fall 
of 1866 his mother, who had been absent from 
Pennsylvania fourteen years, wished to visit 
her sisters, who resided near Pittsburg. She 
took her sons. Ijcnjaniin and Isaac, witli her, 
and remained in Pennsylvania nearly a year, 
taking back with her the younger son, Isaac, 
and leaving Benjamin in Pittsburg as an ap- 
]irentice to the carjienter's trade. It was not 
long until he perceived that his education was 
too defective to enable him to become a skill- 
ful mechanic. The question then arose in his 
mind as to how to secure the necessary learn- 
ing. He had no funds to support himself at 
school, so he began attending a public night 
school, but about this time his employer sent 
him out several miles from the city to work on 
a house. The building was large and he was 
kept there more than a year, but soon after 
being brought back to the city he became ac- 
([uainted with an apprentice to the same firm, 
who had found just the man Mr. Hill had 
l>een looking for, John G. Beaty, a carpenter 
and builder, a self-educated man and possessed 
of remarkable talent, being a thorough master 
of pure mathematics. This gentleman, out of 
pure friendship for aspiring young men. had 
gathered about him a few who met him at his 
home one evening of each week to recite their 
lessons. WHien our subject learned from his 
fellow-apprentice that they had been studying 
geometry five or six weeks, he did not under- 
stand how it would be possible to join the 
class, for he had never so much as seen a work 
on geometry; but he was so anxious to know 
something about it that he inquired of his 



friend the name of the book used by the class 
and that evening, by a skillful search of his 
pockets, foun<l what he su])poscd might Ijuy 
the book at a second-hand store. Learning 
where such a shop could be found he went to 
it and to his infinite delight found Davies' 
Legendcr, just the book used by the class. 
Of course there was no hope, as it seemed, to 
enter the class, but he commenced that very 
evening as soon as he could get back to his 
boarding house, and though the next meeting 
was less than a week ahead, he hoped that by 
persistent and hard study he might get within 
sight of the class. When the next evening for 
recitation came, Mr. Hill-went with one of the 
class, hoping to meet the \oung men and 
more especially such a noble man as Mr. 
Beaty must be. When the class sat around 
the table, Mr. Beaty asked Mr. Hill to sit at 
the table with them, but the latter protested, 
saying there was no use for he had com- 
menced the study of the book less than a week 
before. But as the instructor insisted, he con- 
sented to be with the class merely as a spec- 
tator that evening. To his surprise, though 
he could in no way account for it, he found 
that he was up with the class. He continued 
his study with Mr. Beaty for two years. 
Though this noble man had at that time 
oassed his fiftieth anniversary, he afterwards 
studied law and was admitted to the bar, and 
is still practicing his profession in Columbiana. 
Ohio. 

Mr. Hill has worked at his trade in Pitts- 
burg, New York and Washington, D. C, in all 
more than nine }ears. In 1874 he gave some 
attention to the development of the ideas of 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



445 



telegraphing between moving railroad trains 
and between trains and stations. By his meth- 
ods a third rail was necessary. Installing such 
a plant would necessarily I)e expensive, hence 
it was not commercially a success. Edison 
afterwards secured the same results by cover- 
ing the roof of a car with sheet copper, con- 
necting the roof and a sounder in the car with 
a wire, and thus by induction sending and re- 
ceiving messages over a wire supported by 
poles by the side of the track. He went to the 
oil regions of Pennsylvania in the winter of 
1878-79, and believing that a man should be 
familiar with the details of his business to be 
successful, he commenced to acquaint him- 
self with the various departments of the work 
of oil-drilling. First he began building rigs, 
then dressing tools, drilling, and tank build- 
ing, and learned thoroughly the manner in 
which the Inisiness should be done. In 1882 
he went to Tiona, where he leased some land 
and began to sink oil wells, owning at the 
present time twenty-seven good paying wells. 
He has never sold his interest in any oil prop- 
erty in which he has seen fit to invest, but has 
retained all of his original interests to the pres- 
ent time. In 1887 Mr. Hill conceived the idea 
that by a certain arrangement of metal plates 
and steel balls placed on the foundation of a 
house, or by such an arrangement placed be- 
tween the foundation and the structure above, 
all the walls being properly stayed and braced, 
a house would not be damaged by earthquake 
shocks, the idea l)eing the result of numer- 
ous reports of earthquake disasters about that 
time. He made drawings of his improvement 
and wrote out a description of his ideas and 



forwarded them to the Scientific American. 
They were retained for a time and then the 
drawings were returned without comment. 
Whether the making of the plates to illustrate 
was considered too expensive, or whether the 
plan was considered impracticable, is not 
known, ])Ut houses have since been built, one 
constructed largely of glass, in parts where 
earthquakes are frequent, on the principles 
connnunicated to the paper referred to. He 
retains the original drawings that were made 
by himself in 1887. Mr. Hill lives in a hand- 
some cottage and from this comfortable and 
attractive home one has a beautiful view of the 
Tiona oil fields; the scenery is very fine in- 
deed, consisting of lovely hills and broad 
green valleys dotted over with oil derricks. 

Our subject sought for his life companion 
Reliecca Ann Park, the eldest daughter of 
James and Lucinda (Anderson) Park, an old 
and well-established family of Maryland. One 
little son, Benjamin, blessed their home, but 
lingered with them l)ut a short time, dying at 
the age of twenty-eight days. 

James Park, father-in-law of our subject, 
was a native of Butler County, Pa., and was a 
son of Samuel Park, of Maryland. He be- 
came one of the most successful farmers in 
Butler County, also being a good miller in 
early life. He departed life at the age of sev- 
enty-four years, the age at which Mrs. Park 
recently died. Their children were: Rebecca 
Ann, the wife of our subject; Elizabeth ]\Iary; 
Frances ]\Iargaret; Samuel Anderson; James 
Harvey; Lucinda Florence; and Oliver Ren- 
wick. 

Mr. Hill is a Republican in his party \iews, 



446 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



although political inlluences have no great 
power over liini. lie entertains broad and lib- 
eral \ie\vs, religiously, lie is a nicml)er of 
North Star Lodge. V. \- A. M.. of Warren: 
and also of the Junior ( )rder of L'nited Work- 
men. .\ portrait of Mr. llill ai)pears on a pre- 
ceding page, being a reproduction of the 
painting by Warren's distinguished artist, 
\\ ni. .\. Cjrea\'es. 



§OHN B. McCAIN, a leading agricultur- 
ist of \Vatson township, Warren Coun- 
ty, Pa., was liorn in N'enango County. 
December 23, 1836. He is a son of William 
and Isabel (Russell) McCain, and grandson of 
James McCain. James McCain was born in 
the northern part of Ireland, but was of Scotch 
descent. He was at one time a very wealthy 
farmer, but through various reverses of for- 
tune he lost his propert}' and sought a home in 
the New World. He settled in Western Penn- 
sN'lvania, A\here he reared a famih- of six chil- 
dren, as follows; James; David; \\'illiam; 
Sarah; Joseph and John. 

William McCain, the father of our subject, 
was born in Pennsxlvania in 1808. and re- 
ceived his education there. When he attained 
his majority he bought 75 acres of land in Em- 
lenton, Pa., and engaged in tilling the soil, 
selling out to advantage in 1848. and locating 
in Warren County, Pa. .\t that time he ]inr- 
chased 100 acres of land in Deerfield township, 
and he is remembered as one of the sturdy pio- 
neer settlers of that township. He built a log 
house for the accommodation of his family, 
and also suitable liarns for the shelter of his 



stock, lie rendered \alnablc assistance in 
building the roads of that section, and did gen- 
eral farming, ni.nking a specialty of stock-rais- 
ing and dairying. He was united in marriage 
with Isabel Russell, an attractive young lady 
of many good <pialities. Isabel Russell was a 
daughter of Samuel Russell, and was born in 
Venango County, Pennsylvania. She bore her 
husband the following nine children: David; 
Sarah J. (Lawrence): Samuel; John B.; Mar- 
garet (.\ugust): Joseph: Ellen (Inwood); 
Mary; and James. 

Our subject's father was true to the princi- 
ples of Democracy, l)ut was too busy to take 
much interest in politics, and could never be 
]irevailed upon to accept ofifice. In his relig- 
ious faith he was a Covenanter and took a 
deep interest in church affairs, being a fine 
singer and for many years leader of the choir. 

John B. McCain was schooled in his native 
county. After leaving school, he assisted his 
father upon the farm during summer, and in 
lumbering in winter, until his marriage with 
Lucinda Davis, a talented anil accomplished 
young lady. Mrs. McCain is a daughter lA 
Bezaleal and Achsah Davis, and grancklaugh 
ter of Patten Davis, a prosperous farmer of 
\'ermont. She was born in Rochester, N. Y., 
and after attending jMeadville Academy, 
taught school in Deerfield township until her 
marriage with Mr. AlcCain. iMrs. ^k-Cain 
was one of a family of twehe chiklren. Ilenrx-, 
James, Sanuiel, Lucinda. Charles, William. 
Eveline, Oscar. Isidore, Patten, Frank and 
James (2d). Mrs. McCain's parents removed 
from Rochester, X. Y., to Russell, Pa. Her 
father was a very clever machinist and opened 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



447 



a shop in Riissellburg, doing all kinds of ma- 
chine work. He was born in 1805 and de- 
parted from his earthly abode in 1877. The 
first nienil>er of the Davis faniilv who came to 
America was a fnll cousin to the nobleman 
who was then Prince of Wales. For political 
reasons she was compelled to leave England, 
and upon coming to .America adopted the fam- 
ily name of Rex. 

Our subject and his worthy wife have been 
blessed with a family of six children, whose 
n;imes are: Xettie (Plollabough): Charles; Ed- 
ward: Ella: Jessie (Guinen); and Gertrude. 
They lia\e all received a finished education. 
I'-lIa received her primary instruction in the 
district school, taking an adsanced course in 
Edinboro and subsequently graduating from 
the Clarion State Normal School. .She is now 
quite a successful educator at St. Michael's 
School, Chicago, Til. Gertrude, the voungest 
of this interesting family, is also fitting herself 
for a teacher. 

Mr. McCain located upon his present farm 
in Watson townshi]) in i8fii. This farm con- 
tained fifty acres which he has cleared, and 
now has a splendid farm, upon which he not 
only raises general farm produce and stock, 
but is extensively engaged in fruit growing 
and dairying. His present comfortable house 
and substantial barns were built l)y himself, 

Mr. McCain is a man of strong constitution, 
who has seen good, hard work in his day, and 
is now enjoying the fruits thereof. His life 
has been too busy to allow him to be a rolling 
stone, nor in his prosperity is there any cause 
to regret his quiet life. In his political belief, 
he is an independent Democrat, and has 



served as supervisor, and as a member of the 
election board. In matters of religious in- 
terest the members of the family are Meth- 
odists. Mr. McCain was formerly a member 
of numerous societies and takes great and just 
pride in the consciousness of having contrib- 
uted his full share towards the development of 
his count}' and township. 




Il.LIAAI L.\WREXCE, one of War- 
ren County's leading agriculturists, is 
an eminent citizen of Watson town- 
sliip, where he has made his home since 1855. 
.\t that time Mr. Eawrence purchased 100 
acres of land in the midst of a vast wilderness, 
which contained no sign of any road and was 
infested with many wild animals. The land 
then purchased was heavil_\- timbered with 
magnificent pine trees and valuable hard 
wood. After making a small clearing, our 
subject built a log house and barns, and at 
once began dealing in lumber. Eroni time to 
time he added more timber land to his first 
purchase and shijiped logs and square timber 
down the Alleghen\- Ri\er to the Pittslnn"g 
markets. In 1873, the old log house was re- 
placed by one of modern style and conven- 
ience, and a new set of barns and buildings of 
a spacious and substantial kind were added, 
]\Ir. Lawrence has succeeded in clearing 
nearly all of his farm, which is now under a fine 
state of cultivation, and is utilized for raising 
grain and other farm [jroducc. Besides this, 
our subject makes a sjiecialty of raising stock, 
and is engaged in dair\ing; he also devotes 



448 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



much time to bee culture — having one of the 
most extensive apiaries in Watson township. 
Our suljjcct was I)orn in iUitler dtunty. Pa., 
I^Iay 12, 183J, and is a .son of Ivamlolph Law- 
rence. 

Randdlpli T.awrence was of Englisli descent, 
and was horn in Inchana County, Pa., in tlie 
year 1800. He received as good an cchication 
as tlie (Hstrict scliools of liis native county af- 
forded at that time, and, after leaving school, 
he became apprenticed and learned the trade 
of a carpenter and joiner. Having much nat- 
ural mechanical ability, he soon became an 
e.\i)crl workman and followed his chosen 
trade for a number of years. Later in 
life he removed to Clarion County, Pa., where 
he purchased 1 50 acres of wild land. He was 
numbered among the pioneer settlers of Clar- 
ion County. He built a rude log house for 
the accommodation of his family, and also 
buildings and barns for the protection of his 
stock. He began the arduous task of clearing 
the timber from his land (being ably assisted 
in time by his numerous sons), leaving ex- 
posed the rich soil, which, when cultivated and 
seeded, yielded bountiful returns to its owner. 
]\Ir. Lawrence engaged in farming, raising 
grain and stock, and also dairying, besides 
])lanting numerous orchards of choice fruit, 
from which he derived manv golden eagles. 
He rendered distinguished services to our 
country during the Mexican War. He and 
his good wife reared a large family, con- 
taining eleven children, namely: Elisha; Ran- 
nels; Polly (Buzard); Eliza (Taylor); Hugh; 
Samuel; Rachel (Brown); Ellen (Taylor); Be- 
linda (Storer); William (subject); and John. 



The elder Mr. Lawrence, in early manhood, 
cast his fortunes with the \\'higs, but later in 
life voted the Re|)ul)lican ticket, ui)h(jlding 
and supporting that party not only by his vote, 
Init also by his influence. He enjoyed the con- 
fidence and esteem of his fellow-citizens and 
accc])ted several local ofliccs, discharging the 
duties incumbent upon him with faithfulness 
and ability. His honorable and useful life w-as 
terminated by death in i86(j, and he was deep- 
ly mourned in his community. 

W'illiam Lawrence received his scholastic 
training in the Butler County schools, after 
which he learned the blacksmith's trade, work- 
ing at that until he reached manhood. In 1842 
he removed to \'enango County and engaged 
in farming for about three years; he located in 
1855 '" Warren County, upon his present 
splendid farm. Sarah J. ^IcCain, a handsome 
and accomplished lady, became his wife. Mrs. 
Lawrence was born and educated at Emlen- 
ton. Pa. 

Although Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence have 
been denied children of their own, they are 
very fond of little ones and have adopted four, 
namely: George; Tena (Boyd); Terry; and 
Nellie. ]Mr. Lawrence is a loyal and earnest 
Republican, and has ser\-ed in several town- 
ship offices, among them, that of road com- 
missioner. Both he and Mrs. Lawrence are 
members of good standing in the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, and have never been 
known to turn a deaf ear to an appeal of char- 
ity. Our subject has taken an intelligent and 
active interest in local matters, and is looked 
upon as a man of excellent judgment and pro- 
e:ressive ideas. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



§ACOB F. EISENBROWN, one of the 
representative and prominent farmers of 
Limestone to\vnslii]i, dates his resi- 
dence in Warren L'ountw I'a.. 1)ack to 1865, 
settling at tliat time in Tidioute. accepting a 
position as engineer for the Economite Oil 
Co., and holding that responsible position for 
a period of ten consecutive _\ears. Al)Out 1875 
Mr. Eisenbrown purchased 100 acres of land 
near his present residence. This tract con- 
tained a thick growth of heavy timber of good 
quality, and the land, when cleared, proved to 
he most valuable for farming purposes. Our 
subject, after clearing a small portion, built a 
house and good barns, and engaged in clear- 
ing up his land. Later he sought another 
farm, adjacent to his first purchase, and upon 
this latter farm his residence is now situated. 
The two farms comprise in all 324 acres and 
are among the most productive and highly im- 
proved farms in Limestone township. In time 
our subject tore down the old buildings and 
built new ones, so that he now has as fine and 
complete a set of conveniently arranged build- 
ings as one could wish, his residence being 
pleasantly located on an elevation and attrac- 
tively surrounded by spacious lawns. Mr. 
Eisenbrown is at present engaged in general 
farming, raising grain, hay and stock — having 
quite an extensive dairy, and many line fruit 
orchards. Our subject was l)orn in Beaver 
County, Pa., August 23. 1845, and is a son of 
Daniel and Barbara (Baun) Eisenbrown. 

Daniel Eisenbrown was a nati\'e of W'itten- 
l)erg, Germany, where he was reared and edu- 
cated — his marriage also occurring at that 
place. Barbara Baun, of German nativity, be- 



came his wife and shared his fortunes and trav- 
els thereafter, assisting very materially in rear- 
ing their family, which consisted of the follow- 
ing ten children: IMargaret (Hunter); Mary 
(Gull); Jacob F.; Catherine (Morgan); Mag- 
dalene (Griner); George; Henry; John; Caro 
line (Brown); and William. After coming to 
America, the parents of our subject settled 
upon a farm of 90 acres in ^^'estern Pennsyl- 
vania, which the father cleared, and followed 
general farming, Ijeing also a cloth and car- 
pet weaver, and doing considerable work in 
that line. He followed the leadership of the 
Democratic party, and worshiped with the 
I^utherans. 

Jacob F. Eisenbrown attended school at 
New Brighton, Pa., after which he learned the 
cooper's trade. He followed his chosen call- 
ing in Freedom for a number of years, also 
working at the same occupation in Pittsburg, 
removing in 1865 to Tidioute, Warren Coun- 
ty, Pa., as previously mentioned. Mrs. Eisen- 
brown was before marriage a Miss Jane 
Merkle. Jane was born at Bernstein. Ger- 
many. April 2/. 1851, and is a daughter of 
Michael ^Merkle. She accompanied her par- 
ents across the ocean, and sojourned for about 
15 months at Economy, Pa., whence they re- 
moved to Limestone township, Warren Coun- 
ty, where Jane attended school and lived with 
her parents until her marriage to the subject 
of this sketch. Two children were born to our 
subject and his wife: Jessie F., born June 20. 

1876, and died September 6. 1884; and Elmer 
A. 

Elmer A. Eisenbrown was born October 26, 

1877. After attending the district school, he 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Studied three years at Tidioute. and later at- 
tended the Bryant and Stratton Business Col- 
lege of Buffalo, New York. Mr. Eisenbrown 
is an independent Democrat, and has served 
as road commissioner, school director and 
supervisor. In whatever capacity he has been 
employed he has never lost sight of the trust 
placed in liim, l)ut has discharged the duties 
that came to him in a simple, conscientious 
manner, without any attemjjt for show or ef- 
fect, lie is a citizen of whom Warren County 
may well l)c jiroud, as an upright, honest man, 
confident of never having wilfully injured any- 
one. Like his honored father, he favors the 
Lutheran Church in his religious views. 




YRON BARNES HORTON of 
Sheffield, Warren County, Pa., is a 
son of the late George Horton, and 
grandson of Ovid Horton. 

The founders of the Horton family in Amer- 
ica were Barnabas and Mary Horton. Barna- 
bas was born in Mousely, Leicestershire, Eng- 
land, July 13, 1600, and came to America as 
early as 1638. He possessed ample means, 
and settled for a time at New Haven, Conn. 
In 1640 he and twelve others organized them- 
selves into a Congregational Church, assisted 
by the Rev. John Davenport and Governor 
Eaton. They then sailed to the eastern end of 
Long Island with their families and founded 
the town of Southold. All of these early set- 
tlers had been members of Puritan churches 
in England. Barnabas Horton became one of 
the influential men of Southold; he was for 
many 3'ears a magistrate, and was several 



times elected to the General Court at New 
Haven and Hartford. His son, Joseph, was 
born in England, accom])anied his parents to 
.\mcrica and. when grown in manhood, set- 
tled at i\ye, Westchester County, New York. 
In 1678 he was a lieutenant, and later cai)tain. 
of a militia company. He married, in 1635, 
Jane Budd, and their son David, who was bonn 
in 1664, married. Esther King. Their son, 
Daniel Horton, married Esther Lane. 

William Horton, son of Daniel, was born in 
Yorktown, N. Y., and settled in Somers; later, 
in 1789, he removed to Colchester, Delaware 
County, N. Y. Here he carried on the tan- 
ning l)usiness, was engaged quite extensively 
in lumbering, and owned a grist mill, in suc- 
cessful operation. He became a man of prom- 
inence, and in 1794 was elected to the legisla- 
ture. Later he served as president judge of 
Ulster County, N. Y., Ulster and Delaware 
counties then being one. In 183 t he died at 
the age of eighty-eight. He married, in 1768, 
Elizabeth Covert. They were the parents of the 
following children: John; Henry; James; 
Sarah; IMicajah; Isaac; and Hattie. 

Isaac Horton, great-grandfather of our sub- 
ject, was born in Somers, N. Y., .\])ril 13, 
1780, and settled at Liberty Falls, N. Y., in 
1826. In 1828 he built both a saw mill and 
grist mill there, and carried on I)usiness suc- 
cessfully until his death, Ma_\' 10, 1855. In 
politics he was a \\'hig and an ardent support- 
er of Clay and Webster. He married, in 1807, 
Prudence Knapp, daughter of Enoch and Es- 
ther (Wright) Knapp. Isaac and Prudence 
Horton were the parents of the following chil- 
dren: Homer; Ray; James; Charles; Es- 




HUGH MILES. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



453 



tlier; Clarissa; Ovid; ,\nnis; Webb; and 
Emil}'. 

Ovid Horton, t;raiKlfatlier of tlie sul)ject of 
tliis sketch, was l)orn at Colcliester, N. Y.. 
Ma\- 7, 1S21. Early in life he was a merchant, 
bnt afterwards became proprietor of the mills 
at Liberty h'alls, and his attention was thus oc- 
cupied until 1875, when he removed to Shef- 
field, Pa. Mr. Horton was made superintend- 
ent of the I)ark lands of Horton, Crary & Co., 
which position he held until 1886, when death 
came to him suddenly. He married, in 1847, 
Catherine Ci., daughter of the Kev. Thomas 
Holliday, a Presbyterian minister. Their fam- 
ily consisted of three sons and two daughters, 
namely: George, father of the subject hereof; 
Byron, of Brooklyn, X. Y.; Celia; Catherine; 
and James H., of Warren, Pa. 

George Horton was born at Liberty Falls, 
N. Y., March 27, 1848. He was reared and 
educated in his native place, attending the 
public schools and the Liberty Academy. In 
1870 he went to Sheffield as superintendent of 
Horton. C.ary & Company's tannery. Several 
years afterwards he became associated with 
this company as a partner, and continued a 
member of the firm until the time of his death. 
March 5, 1893. He married Eunice L. Barnes, 
daugliter of Erastus and Eliza (Eddy) Barnes, 
whose sketches are found in this volume. To 
them were born two sons: P>yron Barnes Hor- 
ton and Harr\" Hollidav Horton, who is at- 
tending a preparatory school at Buffalo, N. Y. 

Byron B. Horton graduated from the l^enn- 
sylvania State College in the class of 1895, 
since which time he has made his home in 
Sheffield, Pa. 




UGH MILES, whom the publishers of 
this work represent with a portrait, 
that appears on the o])i)osite page, 
is one of the prominent and substantial citi- 
zens of \\'arren County, I'a., and the family, 
of which he is a worthy representative, has 
long been prominent in advancing the welfare 
of the community in which their lot was cast. 
Mr. ^liles is engaged in farming, lumljering, 
and in the oil business, and in all his enter- 
prises, his success may be attributed to his un- 
tiring energy and sound judgment. He was 
born in Alercer County. Pa., in 1821, and is a 
son of Lewis and I-llizabeth (Foster) Miles, 
and grandson of Thomas Miles, a native, and 
lifelong farmer, of Mercer County, Pennsyl- 
\ania. 

Lewis Miles was born on his father's farm 
in Mercer County, and his primary education 
was received in the district schools of that vi- 
cinity. He later moved to Venango County, 
Pa., where he purchased a farm and continued 
that occupation until death claimed him. He 
was a soldier of the War of 181 J. His union 
with Elizabeth Foster resulted in the Inrth of 
ten children, namely: Elizabeth: Hiram: 
Thomas; Hugh; Harriet (Grove): jane 
(Foster); Hannah (Tucker): Milton: .\sa: and 
Clarissa (Davidson). Lewis Miles also worked 
at shoemaking and coopering, and in his lat- 
ter \'ears he conducted a store, while his sons 
operated the farm. 

Hugh Miles was intellectually trained ftir 
the battles of life in the conunon schools of 
his native town, and u]3on leaving school, he 
took u]) the occupation of a farmer. In 1853 
he pm-chased two hundred and twenty-live 



454 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



acres of linil)cr laiul in Warren rounty, and in 
a short time hons^lil a saw mill and lie.^an the 
mannfaetm-e of hnnher. The suhjeet of onr 
sketch shipi)ed largely to Tittshurg, Ta. In 
the earlv davs lnml)er commanded a price of 
$7 per thousand, while a few years later the 
price had increased to $30 per tlioiisand. In 
1865, during tlie oil excitement, Mr. Miles or- 
ganized a con^jany, of which he was the prin- 
cipal promoter; they opened the now cele- 
brated Fag'undus oil field: although their first 
ventiu'e was not a remarkable strike, the re- 
sults were, nevertheless, encouraging. In 
l.SfKj Mr. Miles sunk a well which had a yield 
of eighty barrels, and as oil was then selling 
for $4.40 and $5.00 per barrel, his success was 
assured. He is also interested in many wells 
in Sugar Creek district. He resides in an old- 
stvle but comfortable house; this vicinity is 
alive with many kinds of wild birds and it is 
indeed a plea.sant sight to see some of them 
hopping about the windows, feeding out of 
the hand of Mrs. Miles, and resting upon her 
slioidder, thus manifesting a fondness for that 
l,-id\ that is very observable. Mr. Miles is in- 
terested in about two thousand acres of timber 
land in his neighborhood. 

Mr. Miles is a cousin of the distinguished 
soldier, Nelson A. Miles, commanding-gen- 
eral of the United States Army. Politically, he 
is a Republican, and has served as road com- 
missioner; religiously, he is a Presbyterian. 
In 1862, Mr. Miles wedded Ellen Miles, who 
was born in Mercer County, Pa., in 1828. Mr. 
and Mrs. Miles are kind and beloved neigh- 
bors, and ]iossess the esteem and respect of a 
host of acquaintances. 



§ AMI'S C. 11 AMll/J-OX, a representa- 
tive citizen (if Warren County, Pa., and 
an inlluential farmer of Sugar Grove 
townshii), was born in that township March 
23, 1832, and is a son of John and Catherine 
(iiroviu) llamiiton. He is of Scotch-Irish 
descent. 

James Hamilton, the grandfather of our 
subject, was born in York County, Pa., about 
1750, and with his family moved to Venango 
County, Pa., accompanied by his father. He 
imrchascd some five hundred acres of land 
there. In religious attachments he was a faith- 
ful member of the Presbyterian Church. He 
died in 1834. His wife was Jane Crane, who 
died in 1830. and their marriage was blessed 
by the birth of the following: John, the father 
of the gentleman whose name appears at the 
head of these lines; James, a prominent farmer 
of \'enango Count)', lixing in Cherry Tree 
township; Richard, who was a farmer of 
Cherry Tree township, \'enango County, and 
had fi\e sons, who became physicians of 
wealth and distinction; Hugh, who located in 
Waterford, Erie County, Pa., where he died, 
in 1874; Jane (Graham), and Mrs. Campbell. 
John Hamilton, the father of James C, was 
born in ^'ork County, Pa., in 1782, and moved 
with his f.'itlier to \'euango County, in 1800. 
I'pon reaching maturity he kept a hotel in 
Franklin for a nr.mber of years, and was 
elected sheriff of Venango County. He 
moveil to Sugar Grove township, Warren 
County, Pa., in 1827, and served five years as 
associate judge of the county. He died in 
1857 at the age of seventy-six years. His wife, 
Catherine Brown, was born in Belfast, Ire- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



455 



land, March 13, 1789, and in 1804 came to 
the United States, locating in Sngar Grove 
township, with David, John, James and Wil- 
liam Brown. In 1815 she married John Ham- 
ilton, in what was said to have been the lirst 
frame honse erected in Warren Connty. It 
was hnilt and occupied by Mrs. Hamilton's 
brother, Da\ id Brown (father of Judge W. D. 
Brown of Warren), and stood on the site of 
the beautiful residence of James C. Hamilton, 
just aliove the old "Brown Spring," well 
known to the pioneer residents of \\'arren 
County. The old mantel-piece of this house 
was a marvel in skill of carving, and is care- 
fully preserved and highly prized by Mr. 
Hamilton. It is as sound and perfect to-day, 
apparently, as when first brought into use 
nearly a hundred years ago. The children of 
this union were: Mary, the wife of James 
Patterson, who died in Corry, Pa.; Jane, who 
resides in Angelica, N. Y., and is the wife of 
Dr. A. C. Jackson; Emeline, who married 
Newton Frazine and died in Sugar Grove, 
Pa.; John B., who spent a large portion of his 
life in New York and California, but now re- 
sides in Sugar Grove; James C, the subject 
of this personal history; and two who died in 
childhood. 

James C. Hamilton was educated in the 
public schools of Sugar Grove township, and 
aijplied himself to agricultural inu'suits. He 
is an industrious man, and one of the most 
progressive of his class in the county. He 
was a justice of the peace and sur\-eyor for 
many years, and has filled almost all of the 
local ofifices in Sugar Grove. He is in consid- 
erable demand as a notar_\- iniblic. 



In i860 he was joined in matrimony with 
Lucy Pratt, a daughter of L. H. and Julia 
Pratt, of Sugar (jrove. She died in 1864. 
They had two children, Mary, who died at the 
age of twenty years, and Ivlgar R., who re- 
sides near Sugar Grove. In .April, 1870, Mr. 
Hamilton niariied FJiza F. Younie, a daugh- 
ter of James and Margaret Ytjunie, of Sugar 
Grove. They ha\-e one daughter, Margaret 
S. In politics Mr. Hamilton is entirely inde- 
pendent of party, and also entertains liberal 
\ie\\s on the subject of religion. Fie is a mem- 
ber (if the Ancient Order of Ignited Work- 
men. 



^^M) i^ELLINGTON JARVIS. Both in 
V^V this country and in Europe the 
Jarvis name has been enrolled in 
almost all the learned professions and pursuits 
in life. It has given dignity to the bench and 
bar: it has graced the professions of medicine 
and surgery; it has advanced the pulpit and 
the stage; it has entwined its garlands of 
poetry with music and painting, and has thun- 
dered its deeds of daring over the ocean wave 
and among the distant isles of the sea. 

Earl St. \'incent, .Sir John Jerxis, the re- 
nowned British admiral, was a noble tvjJC of 
the hero and English sailor. In judgment 
l)rofound, with a stern will and inllexible in- 
tegrity, he was the favorite of his goxernmcnt. 
His fame g.ave him a place in Westminster 
Abbc}-. It is impossible to determine when 
the first Jarxis settleil in this ctnmtry. The 
earliest mentiim of the name is in "Hutton's 



456 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



I'larly luin,i;rrints to America," which speaks 
of jolin Jarvi.s as li\in_o- in Virginia, Feliruary 
1 6, 1623. There is a record of John Jarvis 
l)eing a mercliant in Boston in 1648. 

Tlie "Old Purchase" of six miles scjuarc in 
Tlun.tinylon, Long Island, was partly owned 
by Ste])hen Jarvis and his sons — Stephen, Wil- 
liam. Thomas, and Jonathan. William Jarvis 
reared six children: William, Esther, Capt. 
Sanniel, Stephen, .Miraham, Mary. Capt. 
Sanmel Jar\is was born in 1698, and died in 
1777. lie was married to Naomi Ilrush, who 
was born in 1701, and died in 175'). They 
reared a faniilv of elexen children, whom they 
named Samuel, Jr., Elizabeth, John, Esther, 
Stephen, Isaac, Naomi, Nathan, Abraham, 
I'olly, and Hezekiah. John Jarvis was Ijorn in 
1725, and died in 1778. He was married to 
Catherine Raymond, who was born in 1727, 
and died in 181 1. They reared eleven chil- 
dren, \vlio were named: John, Jr., Samuel, 
Stejdien, Esther, Catherine, Henry, James, 
William, Hannah, Sands, and Jessie. 

Sands Jarvis was born in 1770, and died in 
1844. His wife was Sarah l-'.nncher: she had 
passed her four-score years when she died. 
Their family numbered eight children, who 
were: Delancy, Rodney, Selecta, James, Cath- 
erine, Willi.'im. Seth, and Stephen. 

Selh j;'.r\is was burn in 1805, and died in 
i85(). llis wife was Xanc\- Cireer. She sur- 
\i\ed her husl)and but a few vears, ha\ing" de- 
jiarted this life in 1865. Three children ccjn- 
stituted their family, and were: Wellington, 
Sarah J., deceased; Ste])hen, deceased. 

Seth Jarvis, father of our subject, settled in 
.\lbany. New York, where he spent his active 



career. In pf)litics he w;is a Whig, and took 
an actixe interest in ])olitical m.atters. He 
served as alderman, and sn])erinlendenl of the 
southern section of Albany. He was a builder 
b_\' occupation, and at times carried on quite 
an extensi\e business. He was an cjld-time 
friend of lion. Henry G. Wheaton. 

Wellington Jarvis. subject of this sketch, 
was born in Albanv, N. Y., August 20, 1829, 
and is a son of Seth and Nancy (Greer) Jar- 
vis. grandson of Sands and Sarah (Fancher) 
Jarvis, great-grandson of John and Catherine 
(Raymond) Jarvis, and great-great-grandson 
of Capt. Sanuiel and Naomi ( Rrush) Jarvis. 
Our subject obtained his education in the 
common schools of his native county. In 1852 
he went to New York City, wliere he began 
his career. He clerked in a notion house for 
a p.umber of years, then was taken in as a 
partner, and continued as such imtil 1887, 
when their [lartnership was dissolved. He 
came to Warren and bought the interest of 
O. H. Hunter of the firm of O. H. Hunter & 
Son. .\fter three years in this connection he 
purchased the entire interest, and conducted 
the dry goods business alone until 1898, when 
he took H. W. Baker into the firm, and 
the name is now Jarvis & Baker. In 1855 Mr. 
J;'r\-is was united in marriage with Isabella 

E. Stone of Albany, and three children were 
born to them: they are: Addie, who married 

F. C. Schaefer, of Brooklyn. N. Y.; Julia, 
married to D. O. Slater, of Warren, Pa.; and 
Louise H. In his political views Mr. Jarvis 
favors the principles advocated by the Re- 
publican jiarty. He is an attendant of th.e 
Presbvterian Church. 




WILLIAM G. TRl'NKKV. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



459 



t\NSOM G. MEAD. Wanen County 
ranks with tlie leading comities of 
— ^I'cnnsv 1\ aiiia.and furnishes its quota 
of substantial and progressive business men, 
who always have their shoulders t(i the wheel, 
and who have so successfully carried forward 
the manufacturing and oil producing interests 
which make the Keystone State so famous. 
We have in the person of Uansom G. Mead 
one of these distinguished and enterprising 
citizens of Warren County, who is interested 
in the oil-producing wells in his district. Upon 
reaching manhood he began working in the 
oil Jield, and continued at that for several 
years. iMually he became a contractor, sink- 
ing numerous wells and building up a very 
pros])erous business. In iSSh he began to 
purchase property, little at a time, and started 
in the oil-producing business for himself. ' He 
is now the owner of several wells, all confined 
to his district, and in successful operation. He 
is very popular w ith the business men of W^ar- 
ren County, and is highly esteemed by the 
people in the connnunity in which he resides. 
Our subject boasts of English lineage, and 
is a direct descendant of a settler of the name 
of Mead, who lived in the eastern part of 
Penn.sylvania. Three brothers bearing the 
name of Mead left their native country, Eng- 
land, and together crossed the Atlantic to 
America. Two of these brothers located at a 
place now called Meadville — the other settled 
in the eastern ])art of the state, where he had 
numerous business relations, and was on very 
friendly terms with Daniel Boone, the cele- 
brated western pioneer, and with the family 
of ^\'illiam Pemi. 



His son, Jo.seph Mead, grandfather of our 
subject, was born January 25. 1772, in East- 
ern Pennsylvam'a, at the same place where his 
father dwelt, but subsetiuently mo\-cd to 
Ilrokcnstraw township. Warren Comity, and 
then to Couewango township, where he took 
land from the government, and a little later he 
inirchased Mead Island from the Indians. 
This is the largest island in the .Allegheny 
River, and the document which closed the 
deal, an heirloom still in the possession of 
the family, is a \ery interesting ]ia]ier. Joseph 
was united in marriage with a niece of Daniel 
Boone; she was born in 1778, and died in 
183^1. They had a family of fourteen children, 
namely: I^va, born April 22. 1795: Benjamin, 
luirn October 5, I79''i. and died in i8(;[ ; Kuth, 
born September 15. 1798, and died July 3, 
1801; David born June 19, 1800; John, born 
November 18, 1802, and died May 5. 1857; 
Ruth bom April 22, 1804, and died July 7, 
1879; William, bom February 7, 1806, and 
died November ig, 1857; Sarah, born Alarch 
4, 1807; Darius, l^orn February 4, 1810. and 
died May i-j . 1845; Mary, born December 7. 
181 1 ; Goodwin, born May 30. 1814; Boone. 
l)orn Fel)ruary zj. 1816; Elizabeth, born De- 
cember 13, 1818; and .Abigail, born March 20. 
1820. 

]~>a\id Mead, father of our subject, liears 
the distinguished honor of being the first 
white child born in Brokenstraw township. 
He received his early education in Couewango 
township, and, considering the meager facili- 
ties for securing an education, and other hin- 
dering influences which confronted the voutli 
in those ]iioueer days, he made great progress 



460 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



and was considered a fair scholar. Almost 
the entire county at that time was nothinjr 
hut a trackless wiUlorncss, in which the red 
men and the Avild beasts of the forest roamed 
at will. David Mead followed the joint occu- 
pation of farming and lumbering. He built a 
large and substantial residence in Conewango 
township, where he brought his bride. Martha 
Tuttle, daughter of J<»hn Tuttle, a native of 
Connecticut. Politically, Mr. Mead was a life- 
Jong Democrat. In his views on the slavery 
question he was plain and outspoken, advo- 
cating the purchase of the slaves as the cor- 
rect policy to Ije pursued by the Federal gov- 
ernment. He died in 1862, aged sixty-two 
years. He and his wife were the parents of 
the following named children: Hannah, de- 
ceased: Joseph T., deceased; George \\\, de- 
ceased: Oren. deceased: James M.; Robert 
X.; Louisa: Martha Ann, deceased; and Ran- 
som (;., subject of this sketch. 

Our subject was born in Conewango town- 
chip, Warren County, Pa.. September 4, 1848. 
and received a good, practical education in 
the public schools of his native countv, after 
wliich he began working in the oil field, as 
mentioned in the former ]iart of this review. 
He is a valued nieml)er of the Democratic 
party, and re])resente(l that party in council 
meetings for three \ears, and is a council- 
man at the present time. His vote is cast 
always as his conscience dictates, thus making 
him a true representative of the people in the 
fullest sense of the word; while in the council 
chamber he works for the best interests of 
the people — "scores to the line, letting the 
chips fall where they may." Socially, he is an 



active member of Warren Lodge, No. 481, 
Knights of Pythias. 

Julia Mead,' nee Ilogue, became the wife of 
our subject in 1873; she was born in \'enango 
County, Pa., near Oil City, and is a daughter 
of Jonathan Hogue, a native of the eastern 
part of Pennsylvania. 




HEODORE H. ELLIS. Very prom- 
inent among the energetic and suc- 
cessful business men of the Thirty- 
seventh Judicial District of Pennsylvania is 
Theodore H. Ellis, a son of the late Prof. John 
Millot Ellis, and grandson of Seth Britain El- 
lis, both of whom were men of note. Theo- 
dore was born in Oberlin, Ohio. After pass- 
ing through the public schools, he entered 
Oberlin College, where he finished his sopho- 
more course, but proceeded no further. He 
began his active business career by serving as 
a bookkeeper for two years for the Mis- 
souri Lumber & Land Company, and subse- 
quently he became interested in oil operations 
in the ISIcDonald district of Clarion County, 
and other fields. In 1893 Mr. Ellis located in 
Tiona, W^arren County, Pa., and organized 
the Tiona ^Manufacturing Company, refiners 
of crude oil. This company was originally 
composed of Theodore H. Ellis. Henry H. 
Cumings, Jr., and Charles Cumings — -both 
sons of Hon. H. H. Cumings. of Tidioute. Pa. 
In 1894 the interest in the business held by 
Charles Cumings was purchased by his two as- 
sociates, who have since remained together 
and have prosperously conducted the concern. 
The refining plant was first built on lands be- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



461 



longing to the P. & E. R. R. Co., 1)nt in 1898 
tliree acres of land were pnrcliascd of tlie 
Pennsylvania Tanning Co.. on the opposite 
side of tlie railroad tracks, and new refining 
buildings were erected. The refinery contains 
all modern improvements and is ecjuipped 
with all the latest machinery especially de- 
signed to produce the best results. The firm 
manufactures all kinds of petroleum products. 
making a specialty of petroleum jelly. The 
cajiacity of the plant is 250 barrels per day and 
from fifteen to twenty men are employed. In 
connection with the large plant, the firm owns 
a number of oil-producing wells situated near 
it. 

Theodore H. Ellis won for his wife Emily 
Cumings, the accomplished daughter of Hon. 
H. H. Cumings, of Tidioute, Pa. Two chil- 
dren brighten their home, Bernard T. and 
Charlotte. In the fall of 1898, Mr. Ellis built 
one of the finest and most modern resiliences 
in Tiona. which is convenient to his office on 
the Warren and Sheffield turnpike. In poli- 
tics Mr. Ellis is an ardent Republican, has ac- 
ceptably filled several minor offices, and is 
now justice of the peace. He and his wife are 
active members and liberal supporters of the 
Congregational Church. Fraternally. Mr. El- 
lis is a past grand in the I. O. O. F.. and a past 
chancellor of the Knights of Pythias. 

Seth Britain Ellis, grandfather of Theodore 
H., was a farmer in his early life-time. He 
o\\ ned a large and productive farm at the foot 
of Monadnock Hill, near Jaffray, New Hamp- 
shire. In 1840, he sold his farm and started 
westward with his familv, which included four 
sons and fi\e daughters. He located at Ober- 



lin, Ohio, where he owned several large mills 
and was considerably interested in the manu- 
facture of lumber. He quickly became a man 
of prominence in the connniniit\'. in which he 
spent the remainder of his life. 

The father of Theodore H., John Milton El- 
lis, was born March 27, 1831, in Xew Hamp- 
shire, removed to Ohio with his parents, and 
in 1847 entered Oberlin College. By teaching- 
part of his time in the district schools he be- 
came self-supporting, and worked his way 
through the college, graduating, in 1851, with 
sc\enteen others in his class, nearly a'l of 
whom sul)sequently became men of prom- 
inence. He obtained a position as an instruct- 
or in Eapeer Academy, Michigan, followed 
the occupation of teaching, and subsequentlv 
took the position of Professor of Language in 
Mississippi College. Desiring to fit himself 
for the ministry, he imrsued a theological 
course at Union and Oberlin seminaries, 
graduating in 1857. In 1858 he was appointed 
Professor of Greek in Oberlin College. He 
was united in marriage, .\ugust 28. i8fi2, with 
Miner\a T. Tenny. daughter of Dr. Tenny. 
In 1866 he was transferred to the chairs of 
Mental PMiilosophy and Rhetoric, and from 
1866 to 1874 he was instructor in Political 
Economy and English Literature. Besides 
his college duties, he performed those of as- 
sistant pastor of the Second Congregational 
Church of Oberlin. having been ordained in 
1866. He preached in many pulpits in the 
state of Ohio, and in other states, and was an 
influential member of many ecclesiastical con- 
ferences in Ohio and elsewhere. In 1893. the 
degree of Doctor of Di\initv was conferred 



462 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



upon him hy Oherlin College, the first degree 
of Divinity conferred by the college. In 1861- 
1862 Mr. I'dlis was mayor of ()l)erlin, the of- 
fice ha\ing songiil him because he always had 
ideutilicd himself with affairs pertaining to the 
local go\ermneut. and the general im])ro\e- 
ment and ])rogress of the town. In 18S3. Dr. 
i'-llis made a tour of Central and Southern 
Europe, and while there he secured many 
sketches which wer-e of interest to his family, 
and to students inclined to the study of foreign 
lands. 

He passed peacefully from the scene of his 
labors in 1H93 at the age of sixt}'-t\vo years, 
lie was greath' bckned bv all who knew him; 
lie was a man of high moral culture and of ex- 
cellent and refined literary taste, a true toiler 
in the Master's field, ;ind an ardent supporter 
of, and worker in, educational institutions. 
His widow survives him ;md now resides in 
Paris, France. Their children are as follows: 
All)ert, of New "\'ork City, N. Y., associated 
witli tile Ellicott Hotel Book Lithograph Co.; 
Theodore H., subject of this sketch; John, de- 
ceased: and Lunian. ])ri\ate secretar_\- to liep- 
resentative T. K. IJurton, of Cle\eland, Mem- 
ber of Congress for the 21st District of ( )hio. 

This re\iew would be incomplete without 
fitting reference to Hon. H. H. Cumings, 
father-in-law of our subject, who is vice-presi- 
dent of the Tidioute Savings Bank, and also 
a prominent oil producer and dealer in lumber. 
Mr. Cumings was recently elected to the State 
Senate. He \\;is born at Monmouth, 111., De- 
cember I, 1841, ;ind is a son of Charles Cum- 
ings of Brookline, X. H. In 185J, his father 
removed to Madison, Ohio, where Henry as- 



sisted him on a farm. He entered Oherlin 
College and was graduated therefrom in the 
Class of 1862. In July of the same year, soon 
after liis graduation. Mr. Cumings responded 
to the call for volunteers for the Union army. 
;md enlisted at Madison in Company D, 105th 
( )!iio. Sofin after his enlistment he was made 
1st lieutenant of tlic conipan\', and subse- 
cpiently won promotion to the captaincy. 
After his discharge from the army, Mr. Cum- 
ings turned his attention to the oil regions of 
Pennsylvania and settled in Tidioute, Warren 
County, as agent for Day & Co., owners of one 
of the largest oil refineries in the state. Sub- 
secjuently he was admitted to the compain- 
and took a \ery active part in the manage- 
ment of their extensi\-e business. He contin- 
ued with the firm until the field in this section 
ceased to be a paying one, about 1873. In 
that year Mr. Cumings fomied a copartner- 
ship with Jahu Hunter, under the firm name 
of Hunter & Cumings, and they ha\e done a 
very successful business as oil producers, 
which they continue at this time. Mr. Cum- 
ings was one of the projectors of the Tidioute 
Chair Alanufacturing Co.; is president of the 
Tidioute Cutlery Co.; and is largeh' interested 
in other enterprises. 

Mr. Cumings was unitetl in marriage to 
Miss Charlotte J. Sink, daughter of .\iidrew J. 
Sink of Rome, N. Y., and to them have been 
born six children as follows: Emily, the wife 
of the subject of this sketcli, Theodore H. El- 
lis; Charles A., who served in the Spanish War 
as a corporal in tlie 15th Penna. Regiment: 
Henry H., Jr., who is associated with Theo- 
dore H. in oil refining, ami who marrieil Ber- 




L. IS. WOOD. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



tha G. Pierce and has one chilil (Henry H.); 
and Ralph, Laura and Abbie, who are attend- 
ing school. Mr. Cuniings is a prominent mem- 
ber of the G. A. R. and iias been commander- 
in-chief of the Department of Pennsyhania. 
He also is a Mason of high standing and a 
leading Knight Templar. 



%J 



B. WOOD, lumberman, merchant and 
oil producer, residing in Grand Val- 
ley, Eldred township, Warren Coun- 
ty, Pa., is one of the most thorough and con- 
scientious business men in the county, and his 
business principles are of the highest type. Of 
untiring energy, and strong will, Mr. W^ood 
has made a splendid success in commercial af- 
fairs, and has won for himself an enviable rep- 
utation. He is greatly respected by all, and is 
widely known in his section of the state. He 
was born in Honesdale, Wayne County, Pa., 
March i8, 1847, and is a son of Ezekiel G. 
and Ellen Louisa (Coyne) \\'ood. The pa- 
ternal grandfather was Eliphalct Wood, who 
was born March 7, 1776, and died May 10. 
1842; his wife, Thersy, was born January 26. 
1773, and died March 2, 1847. 

Ezekiel Wood, the father of L. B., was born 
in Wayne County, Pa., December 13. 1817, 
and moved to Warren County, Pa., locating at 
Tiona, — where he went into the lumbering 
business. He owned a valuable tract of tim- 
ber of about 2,000 acres, and he built a saw 
mill, hauled the tinished boards to the river, 
and shipped them to Pittsburg. From Tiona 
he moved to Warren, where he engaged in the 
coal, wood, lime, general express and hauling 



business, and was very well known through- 
out the county. He married Ellen Loui.sa 
Coyne, who was born April 22, 1823, and they 
reared eight children, namelv: John M., born 
SeptemJjer 18, 1842, and married to Henrietta 
S. Palmer; Charlotte E., born August 9, 1844, 
and married to Cornelius C. Jadwin; Luman 
B., the subject of this sketch; Louisa J., born 
August 21, 1849, 'i''"! married to David Mc- 
Kelvy; James A., born April 26, 1853; Frank 
A., born July 11, 1855. and married to Grace 
Smith; Anna C, born December 26, 1859, 
and married to N. V. V. Franchot; and Harry 
E., born August 15, 1861. Mr. Wood died 
September 11, 1885, and his wife died ^lay 
5, 1877. Mr. Wood was one of the organiz- 
ers of the Warren Savings Bank. 

L. B. Wood, the subject of this sketch, re- 
cei\'eil his primary education in Honesdale, 
Wayne County, Pa., and graduated later, from 
the Flushing Institute, Long Island. He 
moved to Warren County, and engaged in the 
lumljcring business, after purchasing 5,000 
acres of \'aluable timber land. The L. B. 
^^'ood & Company, lumbering concern, which 
was organized in 1872, erected the first saw 
mill, with a capacity of 20,000 feet, at New- 
ton Station. Eldretl township, Warren Coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania. Mr. Wood moved to 
Grand Valley during the year the railroad was 
first cut through, and before it was in opera- 
tion. There were but few settlers, and to him 
lielongs the distinction of conducting the first 
manufacturing concern in the district; the 
only work done was the making of shingles, 
which some of the farmers did by hand. The 
firm is now the most fiourishing in the vicini- 



466 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



ty, and s])eaks well for the business ability of 
the members. The firm now owns about 20.- 
000 acres of timljer land, tliou,t;h at one time 
they owned 5,000 acres. Tlu-y buill a new 
saw mill on the present site, and in the locality 
known as Wood's Alill. and there they have 
operated for several _\cars. .About fi\e years 
ago they built into the hnnber and saw mill 
belt a priv.ate railroad, and in this manner the 
hnnber is carried from the forest to the mill. 

Mr. Wood is also interested in the Stanton 
Oil Company, a corporation organized for the 
development of the oil fields in Eldred town- 
ship. He owns about fifty wells, and 
although there are no plienomenal wells 
in the number, the\' have been a steady- 
paying investment. The offices of the 
L. B. Wood & Company luml)ering busi- 
ness are located in Grand A'alley, and were 
built about ten years ago. Mr. Wood is also 
interested in the general store, which is known 
by the firm name of \Vood Bros., dealers in 
groceries, dry goods, boots and shoes, sta- 
tionery and books. The building is a large 
one, and is equipped in modern st\le, hax'ing 
cash carriers, trolley system, etc. The firm 
do a large and lucrative business, ruid are in 
every way reliable and trustworthy. The 
building was bought bv Mr. Wood when he 
first came to Eldred township, and has been 
enlarged to about three times its former size. 
Mr. Wood owns considerable property in 
Grand \'alley, including several dwellings, and 
a l)lacksmith shop. His home is one of the 
prettiest in the township, and presents a very 
attractive appearance. He married Lillie J. 
Philips, October 4, 1876. She was born in 



Cassadaga, N, Y., January 12, 1852, and is a 
daughter of Williston and Mary Phili])s. Two 

children ha\e resulted from this union, name- 
ly; Williston P., born .\ugust _'_', 1877, at 
Titusville, Pa., and Harry G., born June 10, 
1 88 1 , ;it ( ir;uid \'alley. 

Mr. Wood, was at one time interested in 
e-xtract works and a broom-handle factory, 
but l)oth burned. He is a stanch Republican, 
and has served as burgess of the borough, and 
school director. He was elector on the na- 
tional ticket when Blaine was nominated for 
president. He is a member of several frater- 
nal organizations, such as North Star Loilge 
No. 241, F. & A. M. of \\'arren; the Warren 
Chapter: and is, also, a charter memljer of 
the (hand \'alley Lodge No. 1072, L O. O. F. 
Mr. Wood's portrait accompanies this life his- 
tory. 

■*—-*■ 

ENRY N. LESSER, the suliject of 
this sketch, was a grandson of J. C. 
Lesser, a native of Strassburg, Al- 
sace (at that time a province of France). J. 
C. Lesser was born in 1795, and with his fam- 
ily came to America in 1852. 

J. J. Lesser, a son, and the father of our sub- 
ject, was born in 1831, was married to Marie 
.\nne Spinner, Jul_\- 7. 1855. .\ family of si.x 
children was the result of this union, named, 
respectively, Albert, Henry, Fred, Theodore 
and Millie and Marie, twins. 

Henr}' N. Lesser was a most striking exam- 
ple of a self-made man, in the truest and full- 
est sense of the word. He was born August 
13, 1859, in Glade township, Warren County, 




THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



Pa., and his entire life was spent in that vici- 
nity and in \\'arren l)orou£(li. He hcj^an life 
as a poor hoy witli no capital, save pluck and 
ignorance of the word "fail."' loi,a'lher with 
a high standard of honor rarely met with in a 
boy so young. By those virtues he slowly but 
surel}' created a place for himself in his cho- 
sen field of action, and mounted the ladder of 
distinction until he became one of the leading 
business men in Warren. 

In July, 1S89, Mr. Lesser formed a jiartner- 
ship with James W'oodard, and engaged in 
the clothing business. From the \er}- first, 
the firm held an enviable trade, and met with 
unparalleled success, which in time gained for 
them the title of the most progressive clothing 
house in Northwestern Pennsylvania. The 
credit of their success was given principally to 
Mr. Lesser, who was a tireless worker all 
through life, displaying an amount of energy 
and business push that has seldom been 
equaled. 

Mr. Lesser acknowledged no defeat. He 
possessed that degree of firmness that nothing 
could shake if he was satisfied he was in the 
right. In business he was firm, yet courteous, 
and it was indeed an enx'ious man who could 
not find in him a multitude of (pialitics to ad- 
mire. He was a member of the Presbyterian 
Church and was a liberal giver to all charita- 
ble institutions and enterprises. 

Mr. Lesser sought and won the heart and 
hand of Allie F. Dunham, a daughter of James 
and Alzina (Dalrymple) Dunham, the lat- 
ter well known in social and nnisical 
circles. James Dunham is a son of 
lohn Dunham, and grandson of Tlujmas 



Dunham. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Les- 
ser was happily celebrated in February, 
1883, and was made doubly hai:)py by the addi- 
tion to the family circle of one son and one 
daughter, Florence and Harold. 

On Sunday, June 11. 1893. while in IJuft'alo, 
N. v., Mr. Lesser died after a most jjainful ill- 
ness, of valvular disease of the heart. 
When the news of his death reached 
Warren it produced a feeling of in- 
tense sadness in that community. Every 
citizen felt a personal loss, and all hearts 
joined in sympathy with the family in their sad 
bereavement. His interment was one of the 
most impressive ever held in Warren County. 
The ceremony was in charge of the Elks, who 
deli\ered their beautiful ritual at the grave. 
The sorrowing family, relatives, friends and 
acquaintances bowed to the inevitable, and the 
curtain was drawn on the life of one who, al- 
though only thirty-four years old, had en- 
twined himself around their hearts, and left the 
imprint of his many virtues in their memories. 

THOMAS DUNHAM was born in Steu- 
ben County, N. Y., where he became a pros- 
perous farmer. He married Anna Carell, who 
lived to the good old age of seventy-five years, 
Mr. Dunham himself departing this life at the 
age of seventy years. They reared a family of 
seven children. One of them was John Dun- 
ham. 

John Duriham was born in Tomjjkins Coun- 
ty, N. Y., and followed agricultural pursuits 
all his life. Politically, he was a Democrat; 
although an active worker in the interests of 
his part}-, he had no aspirations for ofiice and 



468 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



frequently declined to accept nominations, 
choosing rather to devote his life to his private 
l.nisiness alTairs. He was a devout member of 
the M. E. Church. He was united in marriage 
with Amy I\Iiller. a native of New Jersey, and 
;•. family of fi\e children was the result of this 
union, named, respcctivclv: James: William, 
deceased: John, residing in Kansas: Cathe- 
rine J. (Kendall): and Andrew Jackson. Mrs. 
Dunham preceded her husband to the grave 
by eight years, having closetl the scenes of her 
earthly career in 1828; her husband's demise 
occurred in Schuyler County, N. Y.. in 1836. 

James Dunham was also born in Tompkins 
County, X. Y.. but came to Warren County 
after the death of his father, which occurred 
when James was fifteen years old, and has 
since followed farming and lumbering in the 
district of Yankerbush. at a place known as 
"Dunham Corners." ]\lr. Dunham is still an 
active farmer and mill operator, residing in 
Conewango township. 

July 4. 1842, James Dunham was united in 
wedlock with .Alzina Dalrymple, daughter of 
Corney Dalrymple, a well-known farmer of 
Conewango township. Alzina is a native of 
Erie, Pennsylvania. This aged and highly re- 
spected couple have traveled, hand in hand, 
down the jiathway of life, for many years, and 
their many friends hope they ma}' be spared 
many years yet. In 1892 they celebrated their 
golden wedding. Both Mr. and Mrs. Dun- 
ham are wonderfully well preserved old 
people, notwithstanding they have reared, 
cared for and educated twelve children. 
Formerly Mr. Dunham was a Democrat, 
but cast his first Rcpul)lican \ote for 



John C. Fremont, and has voted the Republi- 
can ticket ever since. He was at one time 
justice of the ])eace and served as constable of 
Sheffield township for two years. Their chil- 
dren were named as follows: Medora (Brown), 
now deceased: Martha (Love), also deceased; 
Chauncey, deceased; \\'illiam J.: Lowell; Bell 
(Pierce); J. Carleton; Lena (.\rters); Robert 
L. : .Vllie F. (Lesser): Richard Edgar, de- 
ceased, and Frank H., who resides in Chicago. 



§OHN C. RUSSELL, M. D. Prominent 
among the medical profession of War- 
ren County is John C. Russell, a re- 
spected and influential citizen of North Clar- 
endon, who also has large and well-paying in- 
terests m the production of oil. 

Dr. Russell was born in Concord township, 
Butler County. Pa.. July 31, 1859. He was 
educated in West Sunbury Academy, and 
Grove City College, after w hich he began the 
study of medicine with Dr. N. M. Hoover, of 
North Hope, Pa. In 1884 he graduated from 
the Western Reserve Medical Uni\-ersity, of 
Cleveland, Ohio. In March of the same year, 
he located in North Clarendon, entering into 
]iartnership with Dr. J. W. Health, one year 
after which he practiced alone. The Doctor has 
been quite successful in building up a nice 
practice, of a desirable class of patrons, both in 
Warren and in adjoining counties. In 1885, 
in partnership with B. Nesmith. he purchased 
a drug store (the one now owned by Simpson 
Bros.), which they operated with success for 
two years, the Doctor having his office in the 
rear of the drug store. During the same year, 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



469 



he entered into the oil-pro(kicing business, 
and has since been interested in 23 good pro- 
ducing wells in the fields of Clarendon, Kin- 
zua, Washington and One Hundred Foot. In 
1897. Dr. Russell in company with A. W. 
Storey bought the Wall & Swisher oil refinery 
at North Clarenthni. and they now have a lous- 
iness of $1,200 per month. Dr. Russell is a 
son of Samuel Russell, grandson of James 
Russell, and great-grandson of David Russell. 

Da\-id Russell was born in the Southeastern 
part of the Keystone State, and was a de- 
scendant of the New England Russells, being 
of Scotch-Irish derivation. His children were 
as follows: John, who married a Miss ^IcGin- 
nis, and settled in Clarion County, Pa.; Sam- 
uel, who married and settled on the opposite 
side of the river, at Emlington. Pa.: Caleb, 
who settled in Butler County, but later went 
west; David, who also settled in Butler Coun- 
ty, and married a Miss Hanlon, to whom three 
children were born (named, respecti\ely, Hus- 
ton, Josiah J. and James W'.). and who was 
married a second time — to Jane Patton; 
and Peggy, who became the wife of James 
Russell and bore him six children. — Caleb. 
Peggy, John, Isabella, Andrew and James, 
grandfather of the subject of this biography. 

James Russell was bcorn about the year 
1779, and settled in Concord township. Butler 
County, Pa., where he was engaged in agricul- 
tural pursuits. He bought about 500 acres of 
government land, some of which he afterward 
sold. He cleareil and cultivated a large farm; 
he was married, and reared and educated a 
large family of children, some of whom re- 
ceived a gift of a certain niniiber of acres of 



land as a start in life. His death occurred in 
1841 ; he died from the effect of an injury re- 
ceived which resulted in blood-poisoning, thus 
causing death. His first wife was a Miss Mc- 
Quiston; her children were James. William, 
Robert, John, David and Peggy. Of these, 
.Alexander married Rebecca Gordon, and 
sought a home in the West ; James married a 
Miss McKee, and operated a farm and hotel in 
Sugar Creek township, \'enango Comity, Pa., 
until he became rich, and then went to reside 
in Philadelphia. William married Betsy M. C. 
Canders, and has one son, Robert, and two 
daughters. Mrs. G. Baker, and Mrs. .\. 
Thompson. Robert married Hannah Fetter- 
man and settled at Sugar Creek, Pa. John is 
deceased. The second wife of James Russell 
was .Anna Wallace, who died nine months 
after their marriage. His third wife was Nancy 
Cunningham, who bore him the following 
eleven children: Mary, Eliza, Isabella. Sam- 
uel, Nancy D., Ebenezer, Julia, Ellis, Ann, 
Emeline and Jane. Of these. Mary married 
Mark McCandless of An Clair, Pa. ; Eliza mar- 
ried Dr. H. C. Lyon, and has one child, Eliza- 
lieth. Isabella married George Culobison, of 
Harris\ille. Pa., and has four children — J. 
Newton, George, William and .Vnnie. Samuel 
is the father of our subject. 

Sanniel Russell was born on the farm above 
mentioned, over eighty years ago. His father 
gave him a fine farm of 1 50 acres, when he was 
cjuite young. He immediately began to im- 
prove and cultivate tliis farm, and is still en- 
joying the benefits of his early success. Dur- 
ing his active days he dealt largely in cattle, 
which he marketed principally in Pittsburg. 



470 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



He became a stock-lioldcr and director of the 
Concord Savings Bank. In his i)<)Htical views, 
he coincides willi tlie Kcimldicans and has al- 
ways taken an active part in ])<)litics, but never 
aspired to office. He is a faithful member of 
the Presbyterian Church, 'vivin^' served twen- 
ty years as elder. He was united in marriage 
with Julia Ann McCallin, who 1)ore him eight 
children, and died in her sixtieth year. Their 
children were: Oliver H. P., Ephraim, 
James, Robert AlcCallin. Samuel Nelson, 
William Gilner, Mary E.. John C. and 
Hiram B. Of these, Oliver H. P. enlist- 
ed in Company C iiith Reg. Pemi. Re- 
serve Corps, was wounded at the battle of 
Gettsyburg. and died at Libby Prison. 
Ei)hraim James was an oil-producer and 
superintendent of a gas plant at Jewett, Ohio. 
Robert McCallin was engaged in the oil busi- 
ness, but died at the age of forty. Samuel 
Nelson now resides on the homestead farm. 
William Gilner is an oil-producer and mer- 
chant of West Sunbury: he served two terms 
as superintendent of the schools of Butler 
County, Pa. Mary E. first married A. S. 
Hogan, and bore him one child, Mrs. White; 
after his demise, Mary married A. W. Storey, 
of North Clarendon. John C. is the subject of 
this sketch. Hiram B. is a ])hysician of Shef- 
field, Pa. John C. Russell was united in mar- 
riage with Alice O'Donncl, of Warren, Pa., 
and they have two sons, Donnell Coulter, aged 
eight years, and Orren Storey, aged si.x years. 
Dr. Russell is a stanch Republican. He 
has served as school director, and is a member 
of the I. O. O. F., Elks and Royal Arcanum. 
He is also supreme medical examiner of the 



Keystone Benefit Society, of which he is a 
charter member. He entertains brdail, liberal 
views on the subject of religion, but Mrs. Rus- 
sell is a member of the l\(ini;ui Catholic 
Church. 

♦-•-♦■ 

AVID E. BKALEV, princip.nl of the 
schools of Kinzua townshi]), Warren 
County, Pa., is a man of high intel- 
lectual attainments and has ])een foremcjst in 
the promotion of the educational interests of 
the community since accepting that charge. 
He is a son of Jesse W. and Lovina E. (.\ve- 
rill) Braley, and was l)orn in Earmington 
townshi]), Warren County, in 1864. 

His grandfather was John Braley, who was 
born in Brattleboro, Vt., and pursued his early 
studies in the public schools at that place. He 
learned farming and when a young man came 
to Earmington township, Warren County, Pa. 
He was one of the earliest pioneers, the place 
being but sparsely populated. The roads were 
few and very bad, and the manv difliculties 
which marked that jiriniitive period form a 
striking contrast to the conditions existing 
now. He bought a farm of fifty acres, on 
which he erected a log house and barns, which 
were later replaced by frame buildings, and 
there he resided until his demise. In his po- 
litical lielief, he was a Whig and afterward a 
Republican. Religiously, he was a member 
of the Baptist Church. His wife's maiden 
name was Bethia Foster. 

Jesse W. Braley, the father of David E., 
was the se\'enth son born to his parents and 
recei\'ed his mental trainins;- in the district 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



471 



schools of Farmington township, in which lie 
was born in 1836. He took to agricultural 
pursuits and when a young man of twenty- 
one years. Iiought a tract of land of twenty- 
five acres, all of which was in a wild and uncul- 
tivated state. He lumbered a little, and also 
worked in lumber forests in the locality. He 
sul)sequently l)Ought a farm of sixty acres. 
v> hich he kept for twelve years, and then sold 
it to the gentleman from whom it was pur- 
chased. He then leased a farm for a few 
years, after wliich he moved to Jamestown. X. 
^'.. where he still lives. He is a Republican in 
his political afifiliations. His religious faith 
is that of the Baptists. He was joined in 
hymeneal bonds with Lovina E. Averill, a 
daughter of Nathaniel and Susannah Averill. 
and they became the parents of five children, 
as follows: Frank \\'.. David F.. Beatrice. 
Alice and Guy. Frank W. was an attendant 
of the district schools and the Jamestown 
High School, taught schools for twelve years, 
studied medicine at the Detroit College of 
Medicine, where he graduated with great cre- 
dit to himself, — being president of his class, — 
and is now a successful physician at Saranac, 
^lich. David F. is the subject of this biogra- 
phical record; Beatrice (Bohall) was for six 
years a teacher in the Warren County schools; 
Alice married a Mr. Hart; Guy is engaged in 
mercantile jiursuits at Jamestown. 

David F. Braley received his primary edu- 
cation in the district schools and then con- 
cluded his studies in the Jamestown High 
School and Collegiate Institute. He adopted 
the profession of teaching, for which he is em- 
inently cjualified. and taught in Farmington 



township. He then taught in the schools at 
Russell for two years, of which he became prin- 
cipal. He subsequently taught in McKean 
County and later became principal of schools 
at Sugar Grove, remaining in that capacity 
for five years; he removed, in 1895. to Kinzua 
township, where he was appointed to a like po- 
sition. He has entered into his work with a 
vim and an earnest desire to improve the ef- 
ficiency of his charge, and that he is succeed- 
ing is attested by the high favor in which he 
stands in the community. He is possessed of 
a literarv turn of mind, is a great reader, and 
has a library composed of many of the gems 
of literature. 

Mr. Braley was united in marriage with 
Rachel I. Walkley. of Russell. Pa., a daugh- 
ter of George and Mary (Hodges) W'alkley. 
and four children have been born to them: 
Earl H., born in 1888; Rena L., born in 1S92; 
Tessie R.. born in 1896. and Jesse A\'.. born in 
i8qq. 




FORGE M. HILL, a worthy citizen 
and prosperous grocery merchant of 
North Clarendon, Mead township. 
Pa., learning of the discovery of oil in that 
place, purchased land there in 1880, and built 
a store just where his present one stands. He 
was the first merchant in North Clarendon — 
his store being one of the first three houses in 
that place. As he possessed many progressive 
ideas, he built a bake oven in connection with 
his store and carried on a bakery. He useil a 
delivery wagon, and jieddlcd to all the sur- 
rounding villages, for many years. In 1883 
his store and contents were burned, but a new 



472 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Store soon arose among the ruins, and the bus- 
iness went steachly on until 1887, when Mr. 
Hill received a second unwelcome \isil from 
the "fire fiend." Again he rebuilt on the same 
spot, erecting a handsome, modern structure, 
of which the upper portion is used fur his 
dwelling, and of which he is justly proud. Mr. 
Hill carries a first-class stock of groceries and 
* crockery, and enjoys one of the most select 

trades in that vicinity: he is reaping the bene- 
fits of locating there early, and by his energy 
and good business management is fast accum- 
ulating a competency. 

^Ir. Hill is a decided Republican, and has 
been identified with every enterprise concern- 
ing the welfare and progress of North Claren- 
don, serving in 1884-85 as chief burgess. He 
was a member of the council when the bor- 
ough was organized, and has served as its 
treasurer. He married Mary A. Chisholm, of 
Fairfield township, Crawford County, Pa., and 
they are the j^roud parents of the following 
four children: Edith N., Myrta A.. Florence 
D. and Samuel Leslie. Mr. Hill is a valued 
member of the Knights of The Maccabees and 
his wife is a member and liberal supporter of 
the Presbyterian Church. He was born in 
Cochrautown, Crawford Count}', Pa., Sept. 7. 
1846. A short re\'iew of his ancestors is 
worthy of note in this sketch. 

Archibald Hill, grandfather of our subject, 
came from the Isle of Magee, Ireland, while 
still a young man, about the year 1800. He 
purchased from the Holland Land Company 
400 acres of forest land in Pennsylvania, with 
not a single stick cut. Here in this dense 
wilderness, three miles from anv lixing man, 



he cleared a small place, and out of logs thus 
obtained built a home. To this home he 
l)rought his bride, who was, before her mar- 
riage. Miss Mary I'ultdu. lie worked very 
hard in order to clear liis land, and succeeded 
in clearing man\- tine liclds. which he culti- 
\'ated, and from which he rea])cd fruitful re- 
wards. But his years of hard labor soon be- 
gan to tell on his constitution, and after six- 
teen years of such energetic efforts on his part, 
he crossed the dark ri\er at the age of fifty, 
while still in the prime of life. 

His widow and eight children were left to 
mourn his early demise. Those left to assist 
their bereaved mother were: Timothy: Sam- 
uel, our subject's father: Thomas; Sarah; 
Esther; Ann; Mary and Jane. The grand- 
mother of George M. Hill lived to a good old 
age, rearing her family, who as they ap- 
proached a suitable period, assisted her to the 
best of their ability. From time to time a 
portion of land was sold to help maintain the 
family. Samuel, the second son, and father of 
the subject of this sketch, when grown to 
manhood, purchased the homestead, with 150 
acres of land; he cultivated the land, and was 
soon able to build a very substantial set of 
buildings to replace the log house. ?Ie was 
united in marriage with Margaret Montgom- 
ery, a daughter of Col. James and Mary (Ful- 
ton) Montgomery. In this connection, the 
rare coincidence is noticeable that our sub- 
ject's grandmothers, both paternal and ma- 
ternal, bore the same name before marriage, 
each being a Miss Mary Fulton, but not in the 
least related to each other. The father of 
George M. Hill departed this life at the age of 




AARON \V. FRANCIS. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



seventy-seven years, while his mother laid 
down the burden of existence at the age of 
sixty-nine. Their family consisted of seven 
children, as follows: Eliza J.; Archibald F. ; 
James M.; Thomas P.; George M.: William 
K. and Samuel M. 

After attending public schools, George M. 
took a course at Wilmington Academy, in 
Lawrence County. Pa., and then fraught school 
one term. After this he engaged in the gro- 
cery business at Petrolia, Butler County — 
continuing there until 1880, when he located 
permanently in North Clarendon. 



ARON W. FRANCIS, who is now liv- 
ing in retirement in one of the prettiest 
•cottages in Columbus, Pa., is also a 
large real estate owner of that place, having 
been engaged in the milling business very suc- 
cessfully for a period of twenty-five years 
there, previous to his retirement, several years 
ago. 

Our subject was born in Erie County, Pa., 
on the first day of April, 1836. He is a son of 
Hiram D. and Eliza (Walton) Francis. His 
father was born in Chenango County, N. Y.. 
in 1808. being a man of ]irominencc in that 
section of the country. He was a well-known 
farmer and lumberman for a great many years, 
and served as justice of the peace at Wayne, 
New York. His well-spent life at last came to 
a close in 1884, when he died at the advanced 
age of se\enty-six years. His life-partner and 
companion in joys rmd sorrows was. before 
marriage, I'diza \\'alt()n, an attract i\c voung 
ladv of Columbus, rV'ims\l\ania. She bore 



her husband the following five children: 
David, deceased; Aaron W., subject of this 
sketch; Clara (Weber); John; and Levern. 
Mr. Francis (subject's father) was a stanch 
Democrat. His good wife was an active mem- 
ber of the M. E. Church. 

.\aron W. Francis was educated in Colum- 
bus and at Corry. Pa. .Vfter leaving school, 
he assisted his father in the management of the 
farm for some years. He subse(|uentlv be- 
came associated with ( )livcr Young in 
railroad contracting, remaining in that ei^j- 
ployment for nine years. During that time 
they assisted in building two railroads in Illi- 
nois, one of which was purchased by the Chi- 
cago & Alton R. R. Co.. and the other, which 
terminated at (jene\a, was purchased by the 
C, B. & Q. R. R. Company. ;\Ir. Francis re- 
turned to Columlnis in 1870, and i^urchased at 
that time the Columbus grist mill, succeeding 
the firm of Walton & Nilson. The mill which 
he bought is the oldest in the township, and 
was built over eighty years ago by Daniel 
Mather. For two years Mr. Francis had M. 
E. Skinner as a partner, after which he con- 
ducted the business alone, until 1895, when he 
sold one-half interest to E. M. Putnam. Ouv 
subject then retired from acti\-e business life, 
leaving the management of the mill |)roperty 
entirely to Mr. Putnam. 

Mr. Francis was twice married. His first 
wife, Lovanche Spencer, was liorn at Colum- 
bus, and died in 1893. Two years later he 
formed a second matrimonial alliance, this 
time with I'"lizabctli L. Fox. Their home is 
bru^htened by the presence of one daughter, 
Elizabeth M. L. In 1S73 Mr. Francis pur- 



476 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



chased his present home, which is one of the 
most attractive residences in Columl)us. 

Mr. I'^rancis is an earnest Democrat, and lias 
served liis jiarty in minor offices, heinsj at the 
present time a member of tlic council in tlie 
horougli. In all affairs, be tliev of a business, 
social or jiolitical n;ilure, he is alert and wide- 
awake. 1 le has made his life of use to himself 
and to all who ha\c come within range of his 
influence. He is to-day a stirring and vigor- 
ous gcntlcm.'ui, though m;my _\-ears have 
passed o\er his head, and he is a citizen whom 
people are glad to esteem and honor, and it is 
with pleasure that wc announce that his ])or- 
trait accomjirmies this sketch. 



-|-"J*"^ 1\I STERLING is one of the notably suc- 
R cessful farmers as well as one of the most 

'^ respected citizens of Warren Coun- 

ty, Pa., of which he has been a resident since 
1856, having purchased at that time a farm 
containing 100 acres in Limestone township. 
Immediately after ]:)urchasing" this farm, he 
built a log house and suitable li.arns, cleared 
land, and became actively engaged in farming. 
Mr. Sterling, in addition to growing large 
<|uantities of grain, makes a specialty of rais- 
ing stock. ;md fruit for market, and is also en- 
gaged cpiitc extensixelv in dairying. Later 
tlic log house and barns were replaced by a 
new house, of con\enient size and attractive 
appearance, and a complete set of very sub- 
stantial barns and outbuildings, the same as 
now appearing to view. About that time, Mr. 
Sterling became interested in lumbering, job- 
liing and shipping logs to Beaver County. Eri 



Sterling was born in Venango County, Pa., in 
1833, is a son of Elisha and Theresa (Noel) 
Sterling, and grandson of Nathan Sterling. 

Nathan Sterling was a native of Connecti- 
cut, where he was also reared and educated. 
remo\ing in early manhood to the Green 
IMountain State, where he spent the most 
of his life, engaged in the trancjuil pur- 
suits of an agriculturist. His son. Elisha, 
father of our suliject, was born in Con- 
necticut, but received his scholastic train- 
ing in Vermont. After leaving school 
Elisha learned the double trade of a 
coojjer and a carpenter, and after working in 
that capacity for several years he removed to 
Venango County, Pa. He chose for his life 
companion Miss Theresa Noel, an attractive 
young lady, who proved herself a worthy help- 
meet. Theresa was born in Adams County, 
N. v.. and attended school there. She bore 
her husband the following five children: Char- 
lotte (Seely): Hannah (Beers); Eanny. de- 
ceased; Sally (Seely); and Eri. 

Our sul)ject's father was too busily en- 
grossed in business pursuits to take any par- 
ticular interest in politics, exercising his right 
to vote, however, as a citizen, and casting his 
influence with the Democratic party. In his 
religious belief he belonged to the Seventh 
Day Adventists. .\ noted reference book ex- 
plains the Seventh Day Adventists as "organ- 
ized" about 1844; they set no date for Christ's 
second advent. They are known chielly in 
Michigan, where they have a publishing asso- 
ciation ; and they have sent missionar- 
ies to several countries in Europe. Af- 
rica and .\ustralia. .\t the general con- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



477 



ference in 1877, they resolved that the 
liighest authority under God among Seventh 
Day Adventists is found in the will of 
the body of that people, as expressed in the de- 
cisions of the general conference when acting 
within its proper jurisdiction. In 1896, they 
reported 256 ministers and licentiates, 1,258 
churches and 45,109 members. 

Our subject received his scholastic training 
in the district school of his native county, and 
like others of those times, he started in life 
with a \'ery limited education. After leaving 
school, he learned the occupation of farming. 
In 1874 Mr. Sterling was united in marriage 
with Urania Matteson. a native of Cherry 
Tree, Venango County. Pa. They are the 
parents of one daughter, Ann. who was l)orn 
in 1857, and was reared and educated in War- 
ren County. Mr. Sterling is a faithful Demo- 
crat and has served as school director. As a 
friend, he is highly valued in a large circle of 
acquaintances, for he is ever ready with coun- 
sel, help and encouragement, even to the ex- 
tent of extending substantial aid from his own 
resources. His success has come from steady 
purpose and constant industry, and no one be- 
grudges him the position which he has at- 
tained. 



^^M)/^LLIAM WILLI: 
vfeV The distinguished 



JS BOWMAN. 
d gentleman 
whose name heads this sketch is 
the senior partner and business manager of 
the Bowman Luml>er Company, whose ex- 
tensive, modern plant is located at Bowman- 
villc, on the Raccoon Creek, with postoffice 
at Vowinckel, Clarion Countv, Pa. 



Mr. Bowman was born in Farmington 
townshii). Clarion County. Pa., in 185 1, and 
is a son of David and Ellen (Robertson) Bow- 
man. (For ancestry see the sketch of Thomas 
J. Bowman, ])ublished in another part of this 
volume.) After completing his education in 
llie di.Ntiict schools of Clarion County, he em- 
i)arkcd in the lumber business, jobbing in the 
woods at Golinza, I 'a. Later he went into 
the mercantile business at Tylersburg, Pa., 
working for his father there until 1877, when 
he started a sta\e factory, which he continued 
until 1880. He then moved to Haskell's Sta- 
tion, built a saw mill, and engaged in the man- 
ufacture of ])ine lumber and shingles, continu- 
ing that line of work until 1887. 

The Bowman Lumber Company was or- 
ganized at Bowman\ille, with our subject as 
general manager, and to him the village owes 
its name. The comjiany is composed of W. 
W. Bowman, J. C. Bowman, F. S. Bowman, 
E. P. Bowman, and Mrs. Jennie J. (Bow- 
man) Alt. 

This company owns a tract of land includ- 
ing, and adjacent to. the village, comprising 
2,400 acres of pine, hemlock, and hard-wood 
timbers. Their extensixe plant is an up-to- 
date circular mill, with a cajiacity of 50.000 
feet per day; the machinery is all modern, and 
the mill is one of the most complete of its 
kind in the country. They lia\e three en- 
gines and four boilers, the latter of 75 horse- 
power. The boilers are self-feeders, burning 
slabs and sawdust. Cnder the mill is the ma- 
chinery that operates the log-jacker and 
steam-nigger. The latter is a tandem steam- 
nigger, of Clark Brothers' make, and does the 



478 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



work ra])idly. The log-jacker is one manu- 
factured l)y Mr. Bowman, and does tlie work 
in a very satisfactory manner. 

The saw mill is operated with three ri4-inch 
inserted-tooth American saws^ — Clark Ilrotli- 
ers' bed and Filer & Stowell feed — with a 
Stearns ed.ger and a Clark Brothers' trimmer. 
.\11 of the hoards manufactured are surfaced 
on one side with a Rowley and Hemance sur- 
facer, and are planed by one of the same com- 
])any's planers. In the repair shop on the 
same floor is a steam grinder, as well as all 
tlie necessary equipments for keeping the mill 
in riuuiing order. There is also a lath mill 
for using up the slabs, which make large 
quantities of laths. .\ little removed from the 
saw mill is a new shingle mill, erected in the 
beginning of the present year; it is one of the 
latest improved style, and turns out 35,000 
shingles per day. Near the saw mill is a Jef- 
fries slal) conveyor for disposing of waste. 

The company his its own water-works and 
fire extinguishing plant, an immense log-pond 
holding several million feet of logs, a splendid 
system of cknated ])latforms in the yards for 
packing lumber, and at the present writing 
there is o\er two million feet of fmisheil lum- 
l:)er in the yards. They also own fue miles 
of ]>rivate, narrow-gauge railroad, with a Cli- 
max locomolixc built in Corry, Pa., for spe- 
cial work in lumber woods. This railroad 
connects with the P. & W. K. K. at \'ow- 
inckle. 

The products of the plant are shipped all 
over the country, principally to Ohio, Penn- 
svlvania, Indiana, New York, West Virginia, 
and Massachusetts markets, while the bark is 



sold to the tannery at Sliefifield. The town of 
Bowmanville was built in 1889, at the same 
time as the mill ;md extensive plant; it con- 
tains twenty-hve dwelling houses, a store, 
blacksmith shops, machine shpps, shingle and 
lumber slieds, etc. — all of which belong to the 
Bowman Comjjanv. 

Mr. liowman has been twice married. His 
first wife was before marriage Mary P. Wil- 
liams, an accomplished daughter of Dr. Wil- 
liams of Fryburg, Clarion County, Pa. Un- 
fortunately Mrs. Bowman was called upon to 
give up her life at the birth of her only child, 
and her loss left the bereaved husband for a 
time inconsolaljle. The offspring of his first 
marriage is Florence G., who is a graduate of 
the Qarion State Normal School. The sec- 
ond marriage of Mr. Bowman was contracted 
with .Mice A. Williams, another daughter of 
Dr. Williams. Two children are the result of 
this second union, namely: Bessie W. and 
\'aughn \'., who are pursuing'' a course of 
studies in the vicinity of their home. 

Mr. and Airs. Bowman reside in Bowman- 
\ille. and unite in worshiping with the Metho- 
dists. In his ])oIitical affiliations Mr. Bow- 
man is a stanch Democrat, and takes a fitting 
and acti\e part in party afifairs. He is also 
deeply interested in educational matters, and 
has served as school director, and as commis- 
sioner of his townshiii. Socially, he is a past 
grand of the I. C). O. F. lodge, and a 
past commander of the K. O. T. M. Mr. 
Bowman is a genial, thoroughly enterprising 
and progressive business man, and the success 
of the firm (if which he is manager is due 
largely to his untiring energy, and his natiu'al 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



479 




business al)i]ity. He takes a Inroad, expansive 
view of life, and has a thorough knowledge of 
many other interests with which he is inti- 
mately connected, antl in all matters his juilg- 
ment is known to be sound. 



US. CHARLES GREENE (Louisa 
Mead). The estimable lady whose 
'name heads this sketch is a mem- 
ber of Conewango township's oldest family, 
iier f;itlicr. Da\'id Mead, Ijeing the hrst white 
child born in Brokenstraw township, but liv- 
ing from infancy in Conewango township, 
where his parents took up their residence 
soon after his birth. IMrs. Greene is a woman 
of wonderful personal magnetism, and has the 
reputation of carrying sunshine wherever she 
goes. She is gifted with a pleasing and at- 
tractive appearance, which with her wide 
sympathy, unselfisimess, and forbearance, to- 
gether with her kindly words of cheer and 
thougbtfulness for others, have won for her 
more real friends, perhaps, than any other 
person in Warren County. She is a most 
charming and agreeable lady, and possesses 
brilliant conversational powers, making it a 
real pleasure to meet her. Since 1891 Mrs. 
Greene has mourned the loss of her husband, 
who was devotedly attached to her; the story 
of their courtship is quite romantic. 

Cl'.arles Greene, deceased, was a native of 
Denmark, and was born near Copenhagen 
April 8, 1838. He was a son of Christian and 
Hannah Elizabeth (Miller) Greene. Christian 
Greene was a jirominent merchant antl ship- 
owner. li\ing near Copenhagen, where he 



owned sexeral large warehouses and a line of 
steamships that traveled between that point 
and Hull. England. He was married to Han- 
nah Elizalieth Miller, of German descent, one 
of three children, who was early in life left in 
charge of her two brothers, who were large 
landholders in Germany. 

Charles Greene received his education un- 
der a private tutor. He was a brilliant scholar 
and a good linguist, speaking four different 
languages with Huency, and had a smattering 
of several others. He came to America in 
1861, and, after visiting various points of in- 
terest, settled in California, where he tried his 
luck at gold mining. In 1864 he gave up 
prospecting for gold and came to Warren. 
\\'arren County, with Mr. Mead, a native of 
Conewango township. Mr. Greene at once 
took a great interest in the place, where he 
soon became a great favorite. After a winter 
of business, coupled with many brilliant social 
gatherings, where he was always a welcome 
guest, 'Sir. Greene left Warren County and 
went to Virginia with the avowed intention of 
returning to Denmark, but while in Warren 
he had formed the acquaintance of Louisa 
Mead, and now found that his attachment to 
her was much stronger than his home ties. 
He therefore returned to Warren, and, after 
a prosperous wooing, was accepted, and at 
once identified himself with the interests of 
that community. He was a man of exception- 
ally lofty ideals, and possessed a fine sense of 
honor, great business ability, and good intel- 
lectual attainments. He cast his first vote for 
Abraham Lincoln, .\fter his marriage he took 
to farming and dealing in farm produce, being 



480 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



very successful at llie latter, aud followed that 
occupation until his dciuiso. Deccmher 9. 
1891. liis loss was a severe hlow to the com- 
munity, where he was universally heloxed. 

Jose]ili Mead. L;r;nidfatlier of oiu- suhject. 
was l)orn January 25, 177-'; was at one time a 
resident of the neighhorln/od of i'hiladelphia. 
and was a friend and relati\e of the threat 
pioneer hunter, Daniel lioone. hesides heing 
intimately acquainted witli the family of Wil- 
liam I'enn. the founder of I'enusvhania. Jo- 
seph left Eastern I'ennsylvania and went to 
Warren County, locating first in Brokenstraw 
and later in Conewango township, where he 
took up go\ernment land and also [jurchased 
from the Seneca Indians (whose chief was the 
celehrated "(drn]danter") Mead Island, the 
largest island in the Alleg'heny River. Joseph 
Mead's treatment of the Indians was always 
generous, and it was largely due to his per- 
sonality and influence that a good feeling al- 
ways ])re\ailed hetween them and the white 
people, '{"he document which figured in the 
transfer of the island is a very interesting one 
and is still in tlie possession of our subject. 
Joseph Mead died March 3, 1S46. h'ourteen 
children couuirised his familv. as follows: Eva, 
born April 22, 1795; Benjamin, born October 
5, 1796. and died in 1891 ; Ruth, born Sep- 
tember 15, 1798, and died July 3, 1801 : David, 
born June 19, 1800; John, born November 18, 
1802, and died May 3, 1857; Ruth, born April 
22, 1804, .and died July 7. 1879; William, born 
I'ebrnary 7, i8of). and died November 19, 
1857; .Sai;di. l)orn March 4, 1807; Darius, 
luirn b'ebruary 4, 1810, and died May 2"] , 
1845: Mary, born Deceml)er 7, 1811; Good- 



win, born May 30, 1814; Boone, born Febru- 
ary 27, 1816; Elizabeth, bom December 13, 
1818. and Abigail, born March 20, 1820. 

I);i\id Mead, father of our subject, the first 
white child born in Ih'okenstraw township, 
recei\'ed his t'ducation in Conewango town- 
ship, where he followed the occu])ation of 
farming, li\ing on the homestead farm. He 
was a life-long Democrat and an Anti-Slavery 
aiKocate, favoring the purchase of slaves by 
the gON'crnment, and thus indcnmifying the 
slaveholders. Hedied November 8, 1862, aged 
si.xty-two years. He was vmited in marriage 
July 31, 1828, with Martha Tuttle, a daughter 
of John Tuttle. John Tuttle belonged to an 
old Comiecticut family, and was himself an 
excellent mechanic, being the author of se\'- 
eral patents, but, like most inventors, failed 
to acquire a fortune by them. He built a 
steamboat for the Allegheny River, but, owing 
to an accident, it was soon destroyed. He, 
too, died at the age of sixty-two vears. The 
marriage of David Mead with Martha Tuttle 
was prolific of the following nine children: 
Hannah; Josejdi T. ; George W.; Oren; James 
M.; Robert N.; Louisa, subject of this sketch; 
Martha Ann; and Ransom G. The family 
favor the Methodist faith. 

Mrs. Charles Greene is al)sorbed in home 
ties, and is much beloved bv her children, 01 
whom she is justly proud. They are si.x in 
number, as follows: Martha E. (Leonhart), 
who graduated at the Warren High School, 
afterward followed teaching for some time, 
but now resides with her husljand in the Sand- 
wich Islands, where his business interests are; 
.\nna Grace, also a graduate of Warren High 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



481 



Scliool. followed teachiiii^' for awhile, but is 
now a successful photographer in the borough 
of Warren; Carl M. is now a resident of the 
state of W'ashini^'ton. where he is employed in 
an office of one of the steamship companies; 
Da\id Ernest, who occupies a position similar 
to that of Carl M,; James Garner, a book- 
kec]ier in Warren; and George Glenni. who 
resides with his estimable mother, the subject 
of this sketch, on the homestead farm, and is 
studiously applying- himself to his hooks, en- 
dea\nring to fit himself fur some useful posi- 
tion in life. 




ARIOX E. PEARCE, an estimable 
and highly esteemed resident of Col- 
umbus, Warren County, Pa., is 
one of the most highly cultured and educated 
women in the county. For her many womanly 
traits of character, and the refinement and dig- 
nity which characterize her liearing. she is 
greatly loved by all in the community. She 
was born in Columbus. Warren County. Pa.. 
December 20. 1833, is a daughter of Erastus 
Pearce, and granddaughter of Loren Pearce 
of Connecticut. 

On the maternal side, the first representa- 
tix'es to come to this country were Desire and 
Genevie\e (Tigny) Balmat, of old French 
stock, and they were compelled to leave 
France during the Reign of Terror. .Vs they 
were accused of being aristocrats, thev w ere in 
danger of their lives. With other I*"rcnch fam- 
ilies they settled in Wilna, Jefferson County, 
Pa. There Desire L?almat bought one square 
mile of land and founded a French colony, of 
which he was at the heatl until the time of his 



death. His wife died socjn after their arrival 
in this country, as the rough life proved too 
mucli for her frail constitution. Their chil- 
dren were as follows: Desire; Peter; \ ictor; 
Gabrielle. and Bridget, who married Euther P. 
^father. Euther P. Mather, the grandfather 
of our subject, was born in Connecticut, and 
later moved to Chenango County, X. \'.. and 
thence to W'ilna. where he married. He 
reared five children, namely: iiarriet: Dyer 
P.; \'ictor; Eliza, and \r\illa. In iS_'4. Eu- 
ther settled in Columbus. Warren County, :\\v\ 
had the tlistinction of being the first settler in 
the village. He built the first saw and grist 
mill in the township, situated where the mill 
now owned by I'^rancis iK: Putnam stands, and, 
indeed, a part of the original mill still remains. 
At one time he owned the entire west side of 
the village, and a tract of land near the rail- 
road, where the house now occupied by ]\Irs. 
Pearce now stands. After selling the mill, he 
gave his entire attention to lumbering, and 
carried on a large business, shipping to Cin- 
cinnati. Euther was always very active in pol- 
itics, but would never accept office. He was a 
Whig, and an earnest worker. He was dur- 
ing the life of Elder Stacy, a Universalist min- 
ister, a ver}- intimate friend of that gentleman. 
He donated liberally for the erection and sup- 
port of the M. E. Church, and it was a strange 
fact that his funeral service was the first service 
of any kind to be held in the church. His eld- 
est daughter, Harriet, the mother of Mrs. 
Pearce, was born in November. 181 2, and in 
1832 was married to Erastus Pearce. 

Erastus Pearce, the father of the subject of 
this biography, was born in Madison County. 



482 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



X. \'.. in iSoQ, and rocei\'0(l liis mental in- 
strnclidii in the i)nlilic soliools of that county 
and at llie iianiiltdn Academy. After leaving 
school, lie learned the carpenter's trade, and 
later moved to Cohmihus, Warren County, 
Ta., where he married, and after huying a farm 
followed that trade the rest of his life. Seven 
children resulted from this union, as follows: 
Marion E., the subject of this sketch; Marietta 
(Relden); Josephine (Shaw): Helena (Schram- 
lin): Florence (E\-ans); limma: and Carrie 
(Baker). Erastus Pearce was a very well read 
man, and was active in all town afifairs, always 
leitiij ready to hel]) in any cause that would 
promote the interests of the town. He was a 
Democrat, and for years held the office of jus- 
tice of the peace, school director, and count\' 
commissioner. The famil)- were all members 
of the Universalist Church. 

M;irion E. Pearce, the subject of this biog- 
r;i])hy, was born in Columbus, Pa., and re- 
cei\-e(l her preliniinar}- education in the dis- 
trict schools of that town, and attended Ham- 
ilton Seminary, Madison County, N. Y., at a 
later period. After leaving school, she at once 
commenced teaching. Her career in that pro- 
fession has been so successful that it was with 
difticnhy that she secm-cd a release, as her 
services were greatly appreciated and prized. 
For eight years she taught in Emporia, Kan- 
sas, and for seventeen years in Corry. Pa. In 
1893 ^'i^ retired to her nati\e town, thinking 
that she would ne\er return to her profession, 
but the school boartl of that borougii sought 
her out and urged her to accept a position. 
After consenting, she taught for three \ears in 
Cohmihus, and then once more retired. She 



is the proud pos.sessor of a beautiful home, and 
the owner of a fine library. Being of literary 
tastes and having the means to gratify them, 
her life is very pleasantly spent in an atmos- 
phere of refinement and learning. Like her 
parents, she is a bclicx'er in L'iii\-ersalism. Her 
kindly presence and influence are everywhere 
felt in the village, and she has brought much 
haj^piness to those who are fortunate enough 
to l)e numbered among her friends. 




HE WARREN MAIL is the oldest 
newspaper in existence in Warren 
County. It was originally the Alle- 
gheny Mail, established in Warren in July. 
1848, by J. Warren Fletcher, of Jamestown, 
N. Y. Its name was changed to the Warren 
Mjtil by E. Cowan, when he bought it in 
March, 1849, '^ss than a year from its first 
issue. In 1852 Lucius Rogers became a part- 
ner with Mr. Cowan, remaining about a year. 
The paper was sold in 1853 to Messrs. Rogers 
and Bates by Mr. Cowan, who published news- 
papers in Erie and Buffalo, but who returned 
to Warren in 1854, and was the Mail's editor 
and owner until June, 1874. when he took his 
son Willis as partner, the firm name 1)eing 
Cowan & Co. Soon after the death of E. 
Cowan, in January, 1894. the ownership was 
transferred to E. Cowan's Sons — Willis and 
Dwiglit — who are still the Mail's editors and 
publishers. In politics the Mail is always Re- 
I'liblican, and the official organ of the party in 
\\'arren Count \'. 




HCJNORABLE CHARLES H. NOVKS. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



485 



HONORABLE CHARLES H. 
XOYES, late president judge of the 
.^'Thirty-seventh Judicial District of 
Pennsylvania. Charles H. Xoyes was born 
in Marshall, Mich., July 28, 1849. His par- 
ents died in his early youth, and he left the 
schoolroom when barely twelve years old. He 
learned the printer's trade and then the busi- 
ness of a druggist, coming, soon after the age 
of twenty-one, to the study of law. This was 
in the office of the Hon. Wm. D. Brown, of 
Warren. Admitted to the bar in December, 
1 87 1, he soon formed a partnership with the 
Hon. Junius R. Clark, with whom he had 
completed his preparation for admission. This 
partnership was terminated by Mr. Clark's 
retirement from practice about 1880. Mr. 
Xoj'es was then associated with the Hon. L. 
D. Wetmore, and in 1883 became the partner 
of \\'. D. Hinckley, Esq. 

The distinction which came to Charles H. 
Xoyes as a lawyer sufficienth' witnesses his 
ver}- remarkable legal ability. He was alert 
and brilliant, exceedingly thorough, minutely 
read, and uniquely successful. The conviction 
of entire adequacy he would have induced in 
any sphere of endeavor. He did so in the 
practice of the law. That conviction uniform- 
ly marks its object for preferment. The prefer- 
ment came. 

In the fall of 1890, Charles H. X'oyes was 
elected president judge of the Thirty-seventh 
Judicial District. His seven years and more 
upon the bench were a steady demonstration 
of the insight which placed him there. Few, 
perhaps, have assumed the judgeship with 
greater humihty of spirit or with keener sen- 



sitiveness to the ideal implications of the post. 
Immediately the judicial attributes were vis- 
ible, — aligned with the intellectual alertness 
and profound learning so declared in the man. 
All were floated in what is vaguely called char- 
acter. In necessary sequel, the years 1890-98 
were years of distinction, — distinction for the 
bench, and distinction for Charles H. Xoyes, 
devoting all his gifts and attainments, in utter 
conscientiousness, to the service of his kind. 

Politically, Judge Xoyes was a Democrat. 
He was burgess of WzTren in 1877. In 1882 
he was a candidate for the office of State Sen- 
ator, and, although defeated in the district, 
overcame the Republican majority in Warren 
County. In 1884 he was a member of the 
Democratic X'ational Committee, and was one 
of the few Pennsylvanians who early voted for 
the nomination of Grover Cleveland for the 
Presidency. In 1895 he was one of the candi- 
dates on the Democratic ticket for a judgeship 
of the newly formed Superior Court. His 
course in politics was characteristic, — the 
course of one to whom the integrity of his 
nature was the greatest thing. In no sense of 
the recusant class, he could not in conscience 
keep silence where he thought he ought to 
speak; and he more than once announced his 
opposition to positions taken by his political 
party, notably in the Greenback campaign 
and in the Presidential struggle of 1896. 
Peace-loving souls often swim with the tide. 
Those who knew Charles H. Xoyes knew his 
love of peace and they knew what it cost him 
to be a non-conformist; and they knew that 
he must, at whatever price, possess his soul. 

The dispassionate observer would, one feels. 



486 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



regard llic impress of Cliarlcs IT. Noyes upon 
llie community in wliich lie lived as unique, 
(iood men. willing to work for the eimunon 
welfare, sometimes reveal a covert preference 
for the column's front rank, — like to march 
with "the heady drums." Judge Noyes was 
actively and helpfully interested in whatever 
m.eant uplift, — to every agency signifying that 
he gave himself unsparingly, — but always with 
a detachment from self which seems, in the 
retrospect, extraordinary. He w^as one of the 
founders of the Warren Shakespeare Club, 
the Social Science Club, and other literary or- 
ganizations. He was actively interested in 
the Warren Public Library from its begin- 
ning, did much hard work in its interest, and 
was a number of times i)resident of its board 
of control. He was a memjjer of the Masonic 
fraternity, and an Odd Fellow. He responded, 
to the claims of the associated religious life b\ 
energetic work in a local parish, — that of the 
Methodist Episco])al Church, — of which he 
was a trustee and of whose Sunday School 
lie was an ofificer. (iood w^orks ever claimed 
him, and he served them without summons 
and with a singular selflessness. Apparently 
he felt that the yeast most perfectly fulfils its 
function when its i)resence can not be de- 
tected in the loaf. One conceives with dififi- 
culty the case of any man more helpful, more 
putting a communit}- under oi)ligation (with- 
out in the least thinking of it), more generally 
and genuinel}- bekned. 

Jt is not strange that the field of letters 
should have allured one endowed with th.e 
ideal elements which declared themselves in 
Charles H. Noyes. He was widels- and deeply 



read. His admirations were in no sense "do- 
cile acts of faith," but the responses of a na- 
ture tuned to harmonies. His reading aloud 
of fine things was exegetical in itself; his 
casual comment, luminous. He had a distinct 
literary gift of his own, wliicli found its thor- 
oughfare — too rarely — in occasional verse. 
A thin volume of this, published by Lippin- 
cott in 1878, remains to us, — "Studies in 
Verse, by Charles Quiet." It contains much 
of beauty and feeling, much quite worthy the 
best of those we call minor poets. Likewise 
it contains e\idence of what might have been 
had the life of Charles H. Noyes been more 
leisured in the twenty years that followed its 
publication. One could wish to make many 
extracts from the "Studies." Two or three 
follow. The first, "Lawyer and Poet," reveals 
lightness of touch, happiness of expression, 
cleverness of thought and metre: 

"O rare battalion of bufif-jerliined knights, 
That on my .shelves huddle like sheep together! 

Heroes of dusty fields and wordy fights! 
Proudly you wear your well-scarred coats of leather! 

Right learned Thcbans arc yc! well ye know it! 

Dry as arithmetic and grave as Moses; 
You're genial comrades for a madcap poet 

That loves the songs of birds and smell of posies'. 

Graybcard old tomes whose tilting days are done 
(Of the pure common law the murky fountain). 

Crabbed old Coke, that lipon Littleton 

Rid'st like an ugly Old ]\Ian of the Mountain, — 

Saunders the dusty-mouthed, that lives on pleas, 
And chip-dry Chitty. ye are lightsome fairies! 

With Blackstone only can I take mine ease, 

For he wrote rhymes as well as Commentaries. 

.\nd you, ye younkers, that ficsh calf-skin wear! 

New dressers of old dolls! rag-patchwork makers! 
Delvers in dust-heaps, spreading, with grand air, 

Your fathers' learned ashes, yards o'er acres! 



THIRTY-SKVENTII JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



I tremble in your company, for fear 

You'll dry up my heart's springs with your glum 
faces, 
So that I never more shall love to hear 

The rol)in sing, nor sec the early daisies. 

So be it never. For my daily bread, 

Knightlings, I'll march before you into battle; 

But, when the day is done, with unhclmed head 
I'll walk the woods and licar the crickets rattle." 



Tlie second, "My Soldier," strikes a deeper 
chord. The words are those of a grief-bowed 
woman, longing to shed her tears over her 
boy's grave: 

''The day still lingers, though the sun is down. 
Kissing the earth, and loth to say good-by; 

While night, impatient, shows her starry crown 
Just glinting through the curtains of the sky. 

I sit within the door and try to knit; 

Some sadness of the sky provokes my tears; 
And memory finds some subtle charm in it 

To lead me back through melancholy years, 

Until she brings me to that summer's day. 
When a tall shadow fell across the floor. 

Lingered a moment and then stole away, 
Following my soldier through the open door. 

My soldier! He was all the war to me; 

His safety all the victory I craved. 
Morn, noon, and night I prayed that I luight see 

My soldier — I forgot my country — saved. 

When came a letter full of love and cheer. 

Telling of victory with proud delight, 
The mother's pride o'ercame the mother's fear, 

.\nd I was happy in my dreams that night. 

But when none came, and news of battles fell 
Around me like hot flakes of fire instead — 

O God! if I have loved my boy too well, 
Put against that those days of awful dread. 



And day by day, as the dear form I miss, 

Fierce longing burns within me like a flame. 

Till all the world I'd barter for a kiss. 

And walk through fire to hear him call my name 



'Twere not so sad could I have watched his face, 
Soothed his last hours, and closed his dear, dead 
eyes ; 

.\nd it would comfort me to mark the place 
With a wild-rose bush where my darling lies. 

But, knowing nothing, save that he is dead. 
Earth hath no crumb of comfort for my soul. 

I long to rest my old, grief-whitened head, 
In peace, beneath yon daisy-dotted knoll," 

Tlic fundamental human experiences are 
touched with a strong hand in the "Studies." 
l^'ew things could be finer than the "Hymn," 
in "X'oices of tiie Forest": 

■'Infinite, Unknowable, L^nknown! 

Thou. God, whom we not understand 
.And therefore worship, Thou hast shown 

To us Thy works, but not Thine hand. 

Of Thee all creatures talk, yet tell 

Their story and not Thine, We know 
The mute, wise speech of Nature well; 

She leads our steps that stumble slow 

Far through the dim. mysterious past, — 
Whose tale she dumbly doth rehearse, — 

Unto an awful, shapeless Vast 
That travails with the universe. 

Father of suns! first-born of things! 

With horrid labor, in our sight 
Thou bringest forth in fiery rings 

The monarchs of the day and night. 

Through mists of atoms, nebulous. 

We grope to Darkness — awful Space, 
Yet ONE is still unseen of us, — 

Primeval darkness veils His face. 

O God! I know not what Thou art, 

But, in the stillness of this wood, 
No doubt disturbs my tranquil heart; 

I know that Thou art wise and good." 

In the poem called "The Hill," the last in 
the little book, is this: 

"O year beloved! as fades this perfect day 

So fades thy life. In thy divinest hour 

The snows of winter fall upon thy head 

.•\nd hide thee from our eyes. Y'et, God be thanked! 

There's nothing dies with dying. * * *" 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



W'itli wliicli may he coupled this lieautiful 
verse: 

"Quick life is born of dull decay; 
Night travails witli the birth of day; 
God's creatures all shall live alway, 
Though death their atoms rearrange." 



J\. lAMES GASS, a proiniuent physi- 
cian and surgeon of Sheffield, Shef- 
iield township, Warren County. Pa.. 
is also proprietor of a large and hand- 
sonic drug store there. lie located in 
Sheffield in 1892, purchasing at that 
tiiuc the property of Dr. G. F. McNitt. 
who had estahlished a drug husiness there 
eight years hefore. His ofifice and consulta- 
tion rooms are in the rear of his drug store. 
and the whole estahlishment is conveniently 
arranged and is a model of neatness. Since 
his residence in Sheffield he has huilt up a 
wonderfully large and lucrative practice in 
Warren and adjoining counties. He was horn 
in Colchester County, Nova Scotia, Decem- 
ber 14, 1862, and is a son of Henderson Gass 
and gr;indson of John Gass. 

John Gass was born in Dumfries, Scotland, 
and went to Nova Scotia, while still a sin.gle 
man. There he met and married Elizabeth 
Blanchard, a daughter of Jcjnathan Blancliard 
and a granddaughter of Col. Jot ham ]]lanch- 
ard, who was born in New Hampshire in 1745. 
He refused to take up arms during the Revo- 
utionary War against the ''mother country" 
and accordingly moved to Nova Scotia, where 
he spent the remainder of his days as a loyal- 
ist. His son, Jonathan Blanchard, was born 
in Nc\v Hampshire in 1776, ami mo\'ed to 



Nova Scotia shortly after his father. His eld- 
est daughter, Elizabeth, as a result of her 
union with John Gass, became the mother of 
fourteen sons and three daughters. He was 
a harnessmaker by trade and followed that vo- 
cation all his life. He taught his trade to eight 
sons, all (if wliom became successful workers 
in leather and masters of the various branches 
of the art. 

Henderson Gass. the father of tnir sul)ject, 
has practically retired from active life. He 
took u]) the branch of harnessmaking and fol- 
lowed that t)ccupation until he retired. He 
was united in marriage with Eliza Irish, a na- 
tive of Antigonishe County, Nova Scotia. 
She is still the companion of her aged hus- 
band, and together they share the joys and 
sorrows of life. They reared a family of nine 
children, seven sons and two daughters, whom 
they named as recorded here: John, Jotham, 
Sarah, George, Kate, Hiram, James, Charles, 
and Williaiu, all of whom are living. 

Our subject was reared and educated in his 
native county, where he fitted himself for a 
school teacher. After teaching for three years 
he decided to "locate in the States," and 
luoved to the state of Pennsylvania. He had 
chosen from aiuong the professions that of a 
doctor, and, ha\-ing accumulated sufficient 
funds to defra}' his expenses, lie entered the 
College of Physicians and Surgeons at Balti- 
more, Md., from which he was graduated in 
1891; he opened an office in Johnsonburg, 
Pa., where he practiced for a year, when he 
located in Sheffield, Warren County, Pa. In 
1892 the doctor became a ''benedict." Miss 
Julana Burlingame, an accomplished daugh- 




WILLIAM JOHN DOUGHTY. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



491 



ter of Erastiis Burlingame. a prominent farm- 
er of Elk County, Pa., won liis licart ;inil be- 
came his bride. They liave a lieautiful lioine, 
in which they very happily live with their little 
(laughter, Florence Elizabeth, who was born 
in 1895. Dr. Gass and his estimable wife are 
lielievers in the Presbyterian faith, and wor- 
ship in the church of that denomination. 

Politically, our subject endorses the prin- 
ciples embodied in the platform of the Repub- 
lican party, but does not aspire to office. He 
is a valued member of the Masonic order, 
F. & A. M. and R. A. M., and is past grand 
of Sheffield Lodge, No. 481, L O. O. P., 
and a member of the Knights of The Macca- 
bees. 




ILLIAM JOHN DOUGHTY, the 
subject of this sketch, whose portrait 
is shown on the opposite page, is the 
junior member of the firm of Doughty Broth- 
ers, that superintends the extensive lumbering 
plant and saw mill of H. A. Jamieson, in Elk 
township. This is one of the busiest mills in 
Warren County, Pa., and is tlie only one of 
any consequence in Elk township. The plant 
was established January i, 1898, and covers a 
tract of 2,600 acres of red oak, chestnut and 
maple. The mill itself is located on the fiats 
near the ri\er, and is a very complete plant. 
It is a circular mill \ery simply constructed, 
with all modern conveniences, such as rope, 
adjustable feed saws, cut-off saws, etc. It also 
has a mile and a quarter of river frontage. The 
plant has been under the direction of Dough- 
tv Brothers since its establishment, and 



the successful manner in which the business 
has jirogresscd speaks volumes for the capa- 
bility and efficiency of its managers, whose in- 
genuity is shown in their able manner of now 
utilizing much material that was formerly 
burned; this material, which used to be con- 
sidered useless, is now being manufactured 
into laths, table leg stock and crating lum- 
ber. The choice lumber is manufactured into 
inside finishings for Ijuildings, furniture and 
veneerings. Great quantities of railroad ties 
are also turned out by the plant. The large 
ponds contain at the present time, about 
3,000,000 feet of hard wood. In close prox- 
imity to the mills are numerous railroad 
tracks, neat tenement houses, a general mer- 
cliandise store, and other buildings, all be- 
longing to the plant, which furnishes employ- 
ment to about forty-five men. 

W. J. Doughty was born in Wayne County, 
Pa., in 1856. He is a son of Isaac and Mary 
(Jackson) Doughty, and grandson of Benja- 
min Doughty. Benjamin Doughty was born 
on Long Island, and when (|uite young, re- 
mo\-ed to Wayne County. Pa., where he set- 
tled among the early pioneers, but few families 
having settled there before him. After mak- 
ing a small clearing, he built a log house, and 
de\"oted his time anfl attention to clearing and 
cultivating his fine farm. His wife was a direct 
descendant of Anneke Jans of Holland, who 
was among the first settlers of this comitry. 

Isaac Doughty, father of William J., was 
born in \\'aync County, T'a., in ]8i6, and re- 
ceived his scholastic training in the district 
schools. He followed the double occupation 
of farmin<T and lumbering, assisting his father 



492 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



for many years, but subsequently purchased a 
farm and carried on the same business for him- 
self. He was joined in marriage with Mary 
Jackson, and they reared five children, name- 
ly: Mary E. (Beemer); Rachel (Cannon); 
Henry Judson and his twin sister Helen Jane 
(Compton); and \\'. J., the suliject of this 
sketch. Isaac Doughty removed with his fam- 
ily from Wayne County, Pa., to Corydon 
township and thence to Elk township, Warren 
County. In politics, he was first a Whig, and 
later a Republican; and although he assumed 
an aggressive attitude in partisan movements, 
he never sought office. He was reared a Bap- 
tist and brought up his family in the same 
belief. 

H. J. Doughty, senior member of tlie firm 
of Doughty Brothers, was born in 1854, and 
was educated in Wayne County, Pa., where 
he, together with William J., worked for his 
father at lumbering until 1873, when he went 
into l)usiness for himself; later he took Will- 
iam J. in as a partner. They jobbed in tim- 
ber, selling mostly to mills, but also rafted 
large quantities to Pittsburg, and to Hunt- 
ington, Virginia. After continuing in that 
way for seven or eight years, in 1880, they 
purchased a portable saw mill, and bought a 
tract of land in Elk township containing 1,000 
acres of hemlock and hard wood. After cut- 
ting that they purchased 1,500 acres from dif- 
ferent parties on Cornplanter Run, which kept 
them busy for seven more years. They cleared 
and .sold the last of the timber on that tract in 
the summer of 1898. January i, 1898, II. A. 
Jamieson urged the brothers to accept the su- 
])erintcndcncy of his extensive lumber plant in 



Elk township, which they finally accepted, and 
are still filling with credit to themselves, and 
to tlie entire satisfaction of their employers. 
They also operate the general merchandise 
store for Mr. Jamieson. 

11. J. Doughty led to the hymeneal altar 
Mabel S. Noxon, an acc()ni])lished daughter of 
David Noxon, of Oil City. Mrs. Doughty 
was born in Binghamton, N. Y., but was ed- 
ucated in Oil City, whitlier her jiarents re- 
moved. She is not only a nuisician of rare 
ability, but before her marriage was very suc- 
cessfully engaged in teaching. Mr. and Mrs. 
Doughty now reside in Corydon. 

W. J. Doughty chose for his life partner 
Efifie E. Tome, a charming daughter of Hiram 
Tome. Mrs. Doughty was born in Corydon, 
Pa., where she also received her primary ed- 
ucation, taking a finishing course at Silver 
Creek. After completing her education, 
she also engaged in teaching, which 
profession she followed until the time 
of her marriage with Mr. Doughty. She 
is a granddaughter of Philip Tome, who 
settled in Corydon in the beginning of 
the present century, and at one time 
was the owner of considerable land. At the 
period of his arrival Corj'don contained no 
roads, and but few white families. 

Our subject follows the leadership of the 
Repul)licans, and has served as commissioner. 
Socially, he is a vrdued nicnd)cr of Seneca 
Tent, No. 71, K. O. T. M. He is a man of 
good judgment and splendid business fore- 
sight. Having spent the whole of his life in 
lumbering, he has a fund of experience to draw 
from, which is of a sujierior order. His busi- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



493 



ness has called forth most earnest effort and 
steady industry, and his prosperity is but the 
result of his own tiu-ifl, and the just reward of 
ail endeavor, well and usefully directed. 




ILLIA^I D. McLaren, publish- 
er of the Warren Daily Mirror and 
the Warren Weekly Mirror, is a pro- 
gressive business man who commands the 
highest respect of the community in which he 
has lived most of the time since 1863. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Gait, 
Canada, on January 6, 1840, and is a descend- 
ant of sturdy Scotch ancestry. His father first 
saw the light of day near Albany, N. Y., and 
his mother, wdiose maiden name was Janet 
McNaughton, was born at Amsterdam, New 
York. Soon after the birth of our subject his 
parents moved to Livingston County, N. Y., 
where their antecedents are prominent in the 
most honored traditions of the historic and 
beautiful Genesee Valley, while the surviving 
descendants, in many instances, have attained 
to positions of prominence along \arious lines 
of endeavor. Both branches of the family 
were devout adherents of the Presbyterian 
faith; three uncles and several cousins of Wil- 
liam McLaren were ordained ministers in this 
church. 

When om- suliject was ;in infant of three 
months, death removed his father, and his 
mother, with five children, returned to her 
father's home near Caledonia, X. Y., where 
they remained for several years pre\ious to 
returning to Canada. 

Young Mcl^aren first faced the stern reali- 



ties of life at the age of fourteen, in a printing 
office, where he was engaged for several 
months, but the printer's trade at that time 
did not offer sufficient inducements, and he 
determined to abandon it for the purpose of 
learning telegraphy. He soon became an 
adept operator, and held positions for a period 
of two years on the Grand Trunk Railroad. At 
the solicitation of influential relatives he was 
persuaded to change his newly accjuired avo- 
cation and was apprenticed for a period of four 
years to learn the machinist's trade. At the 
completion of his time, he took up his abode 
in Buffalo, and continued there at his trade 
until greater inducements caused him to go to 
Warren. Here he entered the employ of 
Brown Bros., founders and machinists, wdio 
were afterwards succeeded by Struthers, Wells 
& Co. 

In June, 1864, he was married to Emma J. 
Stout, who still remains his genial companion 
and constant counsellor. He has also a son, 
Eugene F. McLaren, who is associated wit!: 
him in the newspaper and job printing busi- 
ness. 

(3ur scene next shifts from Warren to Oil 
Creek, where the adventurous spirit of our 
subject was allured by the tales of fabulous 
wealth attending the discovery of petroleum 
along this hitherto unpromising stream. With 
two partners he established a machine and 
blacksmith shop there, and did a profitaljle 
business initil reverses overtook the firm as 
the result of outside speculations. He was 
then forced to abandon the venture and return 
to Warren, where he followed his trade until 
1866. Then the West \'irginia oil fields of- 



494 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



fered similar inducements to men's ambition 
and enterprise. In company with B. Enos, of 
Gailipolis, Oiiio, lie decided to load a boat 
with machinery for the upper oil country, 
to float it thence to Parkersburg-, \V. Va., and 
from there to ascend the Kanawha l\i\cr and 
locate in a new and promising held. Their 
most cherished hopes, however, were blighted. 
Ijeforc reaching their destination a freshet oc- 
curred, and on the morning following the boat 
was stranded high and dry. Before the stream 
again arose sufificiently to float the craft, the 
c<il boom had subsided in that locality, and the 
army of adventurers had stampeded for an- 
other fancied Eklorado. Again McLaren re- 
turned to Warren, this time to remain until 
the year 1870, when the West oft'ered such op- 
portunities that he decided to locate in the 
saw mill business in southeastern Kansas. 
The necessary machinery was shipped from 
the East, and he remained for a period of eight 
years, when he disposed of his interests and re- 
turned to Warren, where he has since resided. 

In 1894 an attack of nervous prostration 
necessitated his resignation from a lucrative 
position at the works of Struthers, Wells & 
Co., and the following year he embarked in 
the newspaper lousiness, purchasing the Mirror 
newspaper and job printing plant, wdiich in 
1897 al)Sorl)ed the plant of the News Pub- 
lishing Compan\'. Plis investments in this di- 
rection have been attended with that success 
which bears testimony to the possession of a 
high degree of business acumen. 

\\'hile never an aspirant for i)ublic ofiice, he 
has served several consecutive terms as a 
member of the board of education, and was 



one of the building committees tliat had 
charge of the erection of the East Street school 
building, and of the I ligh School building. He 
is a member of the Pres1)yterian Church, and 
takes an active interest in both its temporal 
and spiritual affairs. He is always in accord 
with every movement that has for its object 
the advancement of the social or industrial in- 
terests of the borough. 



§OSEPH A, NASH, associate judge of 
Forest Countv, Pa., also a leading 
farmer of Plowe township, is one of the 
most popular men in eastern Forest County, 
and has had a marked and varied career. 
Judge Nash is a native of Concord, Erie 
County, Pa., where he was born on July 9, 
1836. He is a son of David and Phoebe 
(Northrop) Nash, and is of Scotch-Irish de- 
scent. 

David Nash was a native of the Green 
Mountain State. When he was still very 
young his father moved to Jefferson County, 
N. Y., where David was reared and received 
his education, which was exceptionally good 
for those days. In 1834 he removetl to Erie 
County. Pa., where he followed agricultural 
pursuits. He was also a contractor and build- 
er; in fact, he could turn his hand to anything. 
as he was a "natural born"' mechanic. He was 
united in marriage with Phoebe Northrop, 
who was also a native of Vermont. Four chil- 
dren were born to tliem, namely: Joseph A., 
the subject hereof; Murray, who was killed in 
the battle of the Wilderness, in 1865; Martha 
Jane, who also died in 1865; and Olive M., 
the widow of M. Mandeville. of Corrv, Pa. 




JCIHN B. MOORE. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICTAL DISTRICT 



David Nash was, in his political views, first 
a Whig and later a Repuljlican. At one time 
he was elected county auditor, hut refused to 
serve, as he had no desire eitlier for i)()litical 
distinction or office. His death took place in 
eitlier 1868 or 1869; he had previously lost 
his beloved wife in 1865; hers was the third 
death to occur in the family during- the same 
year. 

Judge Nash was the recipient of a good, 
practical education, and remained on the farm 
until he attained the age of twenty-one years. 
After the death of his father he took charge of 
the farm, continuing agricultural pursuits 
until 1876. During that year he went to Kan- 
sas, took up a school section and remained 
about five years. In 1883 he sold out and 
returned to the East, locating at once in 
Forest County, Pa. He first went to Byrom- 
town, where he remained five years, and then 
li\ed at Watson Farm for four years. While 
at the latter place he worked on the country 
roads most of the time. In 1893 Judge Nash 
went to Frostown, where he has since lived 
following the occupation of farming on a farm 
of 47 acres. 

Judge Nash has been married three times. 
His first wedding was celebrated December 
24, 1857, when he was united with Martha A. 
Lilly. Two children were the result of that 
union, namely: Frank L., and L. IMay, wife 
of Silas Leech, of Kansas, now a resident of 
Illinois. His first wife died in 1865; the fol- 
lowing year Judge Nash was united with 
Phoebe McCray (nee Bogardus), who a'so 
bore him two children: Charles M., deceased: 
and Robert L. August 11, 1892. Judge Nash 



was again a contracting party at the altar; this 
time his l)ridc was Miss Sarah A. Lewis, of 
Concord, I'a., a former schoolmate of the 
judge. 

In 1894 Judge Nash was elected on the Re- 
publican ticket as associate judge of Forest 
County, Pa., for a full term of five years and is 
hlluig that ofiice in an eminently capable man- 
ner. Judge Nash has also served as ta.x col- 
lector for nine years, and as justice of the 
peace for six years. In religious matters he 
favors the M. E. Church; although a very 
busy man, he enjoys social relations of the 
most desirable kind: as a citizen, he is pro- 
gressive and public-,spirited: in the business 
world he is everywhere known as a man of 
intlomitable will, extreme integrity and cor- 
rect methods: in all aft'airs, be they of a busi- 
ness, social, or political nature, he is 
alert and wide-awake. He has made his life 
of use to himself and to all who have come 
within the range of his influence. He is to- 
day a stirring, vigorous gentleman, though 
many years have passed over his head, and is 
such a man as the people of the Thirty-sev- 
enth Judicial District delight to honor. 

pJiSS JESSIE L. MOORE, an accom- 
plished young lady who resides at 
■Ciarland, Warren County, Pa., is a 
daughter of John B. and Ellice (Wade) Afoore, 
and comes of a prominent family on both sides 
of the house. 

John B. Moore, the father of our subject, 
and a son of James Moore, was bom at Ox- 
ford, N. Y.. April 14. 1850, and attended the 




BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



puhlic sclujols of his district. Upon leaving 
school, lie went at once to farminy and lum- 
bering, with no aiKantages whatexxr, except- 
ing" superior natural al^ilities, and it has always 
been a source of great pleasure to him to be 
included among that honored class — self-made 
men — men who, at an early age, are cast upon 
their own resources, and by indomitable will 
and the full exercise of natural endowments 
rise to a high rank in the business world. His 
first venture in business for himself was to Iniy 
a trad of land co\erod with timber; this he 
cleared, and from time to time purchased more 
land, and cleared it. In this manner he ac- 
quired and cleared many acres and attained a 
good degree of prosperity. But being a per- 
son of great energy, he was not satisfied to sit 
and dream of his past successes; he was con- 
stantly upon the watch for newer and better 
helds in which to operate, and his investiga- 
tions demonstrated to him that Wisconsin was 
the most inviting field. He formed The 
Moore & Kippel Company, and purchased 
some eight thousand acres in that state, hav- 
ing mills and ofitices at Fort Wing, Wis., and 
at Garland, Pennsylvania. Mr. Moore owns a 
fine farm at Garland, which is under a high 
state of cultivation, and in 1S89 he erected 
thereon a handsome residence and barns. He 
carries on general farming extensively, raising 
grain, farm jiroduce of all kinds, and fruits. 
lie is engaged in cattle raising, and makes a 
specialty of Holsteins. I'olitically he is a l\e- 
jjublican and has held various offices. 

Mr. Moore was joined in matrimonial bonds 
with Ellice Wade, a daughter of Harrison and 
Julia (Skinner) \Vade of Sherman, X. Y. She 



was born March ly, 1S52, and received a pub- 
lic school education. This union was blessed 
by the birth of three children, a record of 
whom is as follows: Charles was born Sep- 
tember 21, 1873, and received his mental in- 
struction in the district schools and in the 
Warren High School, after which he com- 
jjleted a course in Clark's Business College at 
Erie, Pa. He is now assisting his father in his 
business and is a shrewd and energetic man. 
Jessie L. is the subject of this sketch. Joseph 
B. was born September 9, 1879, attended the 
puldic schools, and is now taking an academic 
course at Warren, Pa. 

Jessie L. Moore was born in Garland, Pa., 
July II, 1875, and after attending the public 
schools at that place she took a special course 
at the Pennsylvania College of Music. She is 
an accomplished musician, and is possessed of 
many estimable traits of character. She is a 
true type of y\merica's womanhood, being 
earnest, self-reliant, a good conversationalist, 
and of an artistic temperament. Religiously 
she is a consistent member of the Presbyterian 
Church. 

A portrait of John B. Moore accompanies 
this sketch, being presented on a foregoing 
page. 

f^OSEPH E. SETTER, the justice of the 
peace and eN-sui:)ervisor of Wrights- 
\ ille, Pa., is a citizen whose life is abo\e 
reproach and (|uite worthy of imitation. He 
is one of the most popular men in Freehold 
townshi]). ^Iv. Sliter was born at Bainbridge, 
Chenango County, N. Y., May 3, 1844, and 
was rearetl and educated there, remaining in 



THIRTV-SKVEXTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



499 



that locality until 1868. He is a son of Wil- 
liam and Phoebe (Searles) Sliter, and grand- 
son of I\ol)ei"t Sliter, of Dutch descent, who 
was horn on the Alohawk Ri\er and spent his 
latter days in Bainhridge, N. Y. 

W'illiam Sliter, father of our subject, was a 
native of Tioga County, N. Y., where he first 
saw the light of day in the year 1800. He was 
the recipient of a practical education obtained 
from the schools of his native county, and 
afterwards learned the shoemaker's trade. He 
purchased a farm of 121 acres on the Catskil! 
Turnpike and followed the double occupation 
of farming and shoemaking, making a spe- 
cialty of stock-raising and dairying. His 
home Avas the customary stopping-place for 
(hoovers and their flocks, as he had fine ac- 
commodations for a large number of. either 
cattle, sheep, or hogs. He sought and wedded 
I'hoebe Searles, an attractive daughter of 
Abner Searles, a pioneer farmer of that vicin- 
ity, who owned 400 acres of land, and was a 
weaver b}' trade. 

The elder Mr. Sliter was an old line Whig 
and later cast his vote with the Republican 
party. ?Ie had no political aspirations, how- 
ever, and led too busy a life to be bothered 
with the cares of office. He reared his family 
in accordance with the doctrines laid down by 
the M. E. Church, of which he was an active 
member and deacon. He and his faithful wife 
reared a family which consisted of ten chil- 
(h'en, namely: Smith; Sabra: James, deceased; 
:\[ary E. (Ivelly); William: Ellen (Hodge); 
Robert; Joseph E., subject of this sketch; 
Lydia (Wilkins); and Nettie. 

Mr. Sliter was loval to our countrv and 



proved his patriotism by enlisting in the 
Union Armj^ in September, 1861, as a mem- 
ber of Company A, 51st Reg., N. Y. Vol.; he 

belonged to that company for two years, and 
was then sent home on a sick furlough. With 
his regiment he went first to New York, then 
to Annapolis, and experienced his first taste of 
lighting at Roanoke Island, fighting later at 
Newbern, N. C, then at Antietani and at the 
second battle of Bull Run. At this latter place 
he contracted fever that unfitted him for serv- 
ice and caused him to be sent home on ac- 
count of sickness. Upon his restoration to 
complete health he enlisted, in 1864, in the 
144th Reg., N. Y. Vol., and served until the 
close of the war. After his second enlistmetit 
he fought at Honey Hill and at Devil Neck, 
and his coni])any was the first one to march 
into Charleston. Mr. Sliter was twice wound- 
ed in battle, first being struck with a bursted 
shell and receiving an ugly flesh wound in the 
arm, and later being struck in the stomach by 
a spent bullet, and receiving a serious shock, 
from which he has never recovered. This 
caused his liver not only to become ulcerated, 
but to grow fast to his stomach. He was mus- 
tered out of service July 14, 1865. 

After the war our subject returned to Bain- 
bridge and spent the following three years 
working on his father's farm. In 1868 he 
went to Wrightsville Kuid worked in a saw 
mill, ni.nnnfacturing shingles and barrel 
staves, and working at the carpenter's trade. 
He purchased his present comfortable resi- 
dence in 1876, and has since im]iro\ed it, add- 
ing many conveniences. 1 lis wife, the much- 
beloved partner of lu's joys .and sorrows, was, 



500 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Ijefore marriage, Miss Mary E. Stowcll. Their 
marriage occurred in P)ainl)ri(lge, Xew York. 
Mrs. Sliter was Imni at .\fton, where slie was 
also reared and educated. .\fter leaxing 
seliool she learned the luilHner's trade and fol- 
lowed that pleasant and renuuierativc occupa- 
tion until her marriage. A few years ago she 
conceived the jilan of opening a millinery 
store at Wrightsville. which she did, and is 
now conducting it very successfully, keeping 
fashionahle headgear of all descriptions, with 
which she supplies her man_\- ])atrons at a very 
moderate ])rice considering the high grade of 
goods she carries in stock. Mr. and Mrs. 
Sliter reared the following eight children: 
Fred; Bert; Archie; Jessie (Smith); William; 
Earl; \'ern, deceased; and Edith. Mr. Sliter 
is a tnemher of the William C. Carr Post, No. 
328, G. A. R., and is also a member of Jr. O. 
U. A. M. Both he and Mrs. Sliter are willing 
workers in the Methodist Church. 

D. CARLTON SMITH, son-in-law to Mr. 
Joseph E. Sliter, whose sketch appears above, 
was born at Lottsville, Pa., Deceml)er 31, 
1871, being also educated there, after which 
he engaged in farming. He is a son of A. 
Marcellus and Etfie (Gnlliford) Smith, and 
grand.son of James and Hulda (Davis) Smith. 
James Smith was a native of Vermont, and de- 
scended from an old southern family, who 
were e.xtensi\e slave owners. 

James Smith learned the car])enter's trade 
and worked at that occupation most of his life. 
He was united in marriage with Hulda Davis, 
a daughter of John and Amy Davis. Their 
familv consisted of five children, as follows: 



Eliza A. (Taylor); Amy J. (Miller): A. Mar- 
cellus: Mary (Wayland); and .Vdelaide (Barr). 
James Smith ])urchased a farm of 50 acres, 
which he sold l;iter and renui\ed with his wife 
ruid children to Spartansburg, where he fol- 
lowed his chosen trade the remainder of his 
active life. In politics he was an old line 
Whig and occupied positions of public trust, 
serving- as burgess three terms and as school 
director. 

A. Marcellus Smith, father of the subject 
hereof, was bom in Erie County, N. Y., De- 
cember, 1846, and accompanied his parents 
to Spartansburg, Crawford County, Pa., in 
1857. After serving his apprenticeship to 
th.e blacksmith's trade in Girard, he worked in 
that capacity as a journeyman in Corry, Pa.; 
in Cleveland, Ohio; in Union City; in Spar- 
tansburg, and in Wrightsville, Pa. In 1869 he 
went to Lottsville, Pa., built a l)lacksniith 
shop and started into business for himself. A 
few years later he purchased a home and re- 
modeled it, now having a comfortable, attract- 
ive residence. He has continued working at 
his chosen calling ever since, and is consid- 
ered a splendid workman. He has been mar- 
ried three times. His first wife was, before 
marriage. Miss EfHe CiuUiford. She bore her 
husband two sons; D. Carlton and Edwin. 
He had a daughter, Efifie. by his second mar- 
riage. 

D. Carltcjn Smith wooed and won for his 
wife Miss Jessie Sliter, the beautiful accom- 
plished daughter of James E. Sliter. Their 
iniptials were celebrated on the nineteenth day 
of July, 1 89 1. Mrs. Smith was born in 
Wrightsville, Pa., November i, 1874, and is 




PROF. W. L. MACGOWAN. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



503 



the oldest daughter of her parents. She was 
taught in the district schools and lived at 
home with her parents until her marriage. Slie 
possesses rare artistic taste and skill, which 
are greatly in demand. Three children now 
hrightcn the home of T). Carlton Smith and 
his wortlu' wife. Their names arc: Archie 
C, deceased: Arlic; and \'crn C. 

Mr. Smith is an engineer by trade and is 
very skillful in handling engines and machin- 
ery. 1 le was emplo}'ed by T. L Baker & Son 
one year, when E. A. Baker succeeded to the 
business, and since that time Mr. Smith has 
continued in the employ of the latter, having 
been with him for the past five years. Islv. 
Smith is one of the best-known young men in 
Freehold township, and he and his talented 
wife are, perhaps, the most popular couple in 
the district. 




IX) 



ROF. W. L. MACGOWAX, one of 
the most intellectual and highlv edn- 
cated men in the state of Pennsyl- 
vania, has, with untiring energy and zeal, fur- 
thered the progress of the schools in Warren. 
Pa., to such an extent that they are now con 
sidered ecpial to those in the larger cities of the 
state. Prof. MacGowan is a native of Ayr, 
Scotland, and was born- September 19. 1858, 
being a son of John and Mary E. (Arbuthnot) 
MacGowan. 

John MacGowan was born at Ayr, Scotland, 
September 19, 1828, and died in 1898. He 
married Mary E. Arl)uthnot, who departed 
this life in 1886. Prof. MacGowan's father 
was a stone car\er and contractor, and with 



his family, moved to Glasgow, Scotland, in 
1 86 1, and one year later to Liverpool, Eng- 
land, where our subject attended the public 
schools. The family came to .\merica in 1866, 
and located at Panama, N. Y. 

Prof. W. E. MacGowan completed his 
course in the i)ul)lic sohcols of Panama, and 
then prepared for college at I'redonia, X. Y. 
His father desired him to study for the Pres- 
byterian ministry, but his tastes and inclina- 
tions bent toward the sciences. About that 
time, the telephone became the topic of gen- 
eral conversation, and Prof. MacGowan 
availed himself of all the information obtain- 
able on this subject, and in connection with his 
brother, constructed one of the first telephones 
ever seen in that section of the country. He 
began teaching school at Fredonia, X. Y., 
his father having suffered from financial re- 
verses, and in this way he secured funds to 
complete his education. For several years he 
continued teaching, but still kept up his reci- 
tations and studies in the academy. He at 
length took a course at Allegheny College, 
which institution conferred upon him the de- 
gree of A. B. 

Prof. MacGowan then went al)roa(l and 
pursued a scientific course in the Heidelberg 
University, Germany, which lasted more than 
two years. This time was spent in giving spe- 
cial attention to chemistry, biology, and ph>'- 
sics. On returning to America, he spent three 
years as principal of the public schools at 
Smethport, Pa., and then went to Olean, Xew 
York, where he filled the position of superin- 
tendent of .schools for three years. On ac- 
count of the illness of his father he was obliged 



504 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



to give up an intended \isil to Seattle, Wash- 
ington, for wliieli lie had resigned his position 
in Olean. In iSS(), Prof. Maedowen was 
elected superinlendeiU nf the public schools of 
Warren. I 'a., and hy an administration filled 
with untiring energy, has coniniended his 
work greatly to the people of Warren. 

July 14, 1887, Prof. MacGowan weilded 
Mary Lewis, daughter of (ieorge W. Lewis, 
of Fredonia, N. Y., and three children have 
hecn horn to them, as follows: William L., Jr.. 
horn October 29, 1888; Kenneth A., born 
I\Iarcli j(i, 1892, and Janet E., born September 
23, 1898. The family are niemliers of the 
Warren Memorial Episcopal Church. Politi- 
cally. Prof. MacGowan is an unswerving Re- 
])iiblican. In fraternal association, he is a 
prominent Mason, having" taken the 32d Scot- 
tish rite degree, and is, also, a Knight Tem- 
plar, and a member of the ]\Iystic Shrine. He 
is a man of excellent mental endowments, and 
of splendid character, and is justly deserving of 
the success with which his labors have l^een 
crowned. As one of the most public-spirited 
men in the Thirty-seventh Judicial District, 
i'. affords us pleasure to present Prof. Mac- 
Gowau's portrait on a preceding page. 



§()IL\ W. IIA:\IILT0N, M. 1:1., one of 
tjie most popular and successful phy- 
sicians and surgeons of the Thirty- 
seventh Judicial District of Pennsylvania, is 
located in North Clarendon, Warren County, 
Pennsylvania. He was l)orn at Plain Grove. 
Lawrence County. Pa.. January 28, 1857, and 
obtained his early instruction in the iniblic 



schools of his native place; later he graduated 
from Grove City College, and afterwards be- 
came a medical student under Dr. J. P. 
Sproull of Plain Grove. March 12, 1881, Dr. 
Hamilton graduated from Jefferson Medical 
College of i'hiladelphia, Pa., with the degree 
of M. D., and thoroughly equipped for busi- 
ness. He immediately began the practice of his 
profession at North Liberty, Mercer County, 
Pa., locating later in Grove City, until 1886, 
where he made wonderful progress. As 
North Clarendon was then enjoying a "boom" 
and was one of the best oil centers, Dr. Ham- 
ilton decided to make another change and lo- 
cate there, which he did against the advice of 
h.is best friends, — he being the seventh physi- 
cian and surgeon to locate in that place. With 
his temperate habits, his ability and skill in his 
profession, together with a determination to 
succeed, he settled there, and from the very 
beginning success crowned his efforts. In a 
comparatively short time he had built up a 
large, lucrative practice, which covers a wide 
area; he has calls east and west to Erie and 
Kane, and north and south to adjoining coun- 
ties. 

Dr. Hamilton Ijuilt him a fine residence and 
an office on the same lot. Main street. His 
office is equ.ipped with modern conveniences, 
and contains a reception room, and private 
office, in which he has the latest electrical im- 
provements and galvanic batteries. He made 
these improvements about five years ago, but 
as he is progressive and up-to-date in all his 
dealings, he keeps thoroughly posted on the 
progress of medical science, and from time to 
time adds modern devices to his office appur- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



505 



tenances. Dr. Hamilton makes a specialty of 
the diseases of women, and enjoys the reputa- 
tion of being the most skilled surgeon in his 
section of the state. He is a son of David, 
grandson of George H., great-grandson of 
William H. and great-great-grandson of John 
H. Hamilton. 

John H. Hamilton was born in 1713, and 
was of Scotch descent, emigrating from Coun- 
ty Down, Ireland, to America in 1729, and 
settling at New Castle, Delaware. His wife's 
maiden name was Harriet E. Morrow. Their 
son, William, great-grandfather of our subject, 
settled near Downingtown, Chester County, 
Pa., where he married ]\Iagdalene Bittenger. 
They were parents of twelve children. 

William served in the Revolutionary War, 
after which he settled in the neck near Pitts- 
burg, Pa., where he engaged in farming. The 
family thus far are said to be noted for their 
progressiveness and longevity. 

George H. Hamilton, grandfather of our 
subject, was born in Lancaster City, Lancaster 
County, Pa., and when grown to manhood 
chose the occupation of tilling the soil. He 
purchased a farm at Little \\'ashington, Pa., 
but later removed to Plain Grove, Mercer 
County, Pa., which is now Lawrence County. 
He sought for his life companion Margaret 
Donley, and they both lived to enjoy a good 
old age, thus sustaining the family record for 
longevity. Their children were: William, of 
Cincinnati, Ohio; George, of Plain Grove, 
Pa.; Jesse, of New Castle; John, of Oil City; 
Maria, wife of John Glass, of Ellwood City, 
Pa.; Julia, wife of Thomas McKnight, of Sis- 
tcrsville. W. \'a.; Sarah, wife of James Holli- 



day, of Plain Grove; James, .of Pittsburg; 
Robert H., of Kittanning, Pa.; Harriet, wife 
of Alexander Green, of Harrisville, Pa.; Da- 
\id, father of the sui)ject hereof. 

David Hamilton was a native of Little 
\\'ashington, Washington County, Pa., where 
he was reared and educated. Pie was united 
in marriage with Susan Offutt, a daughter of 
John Offutt, of Plain Grove. After his mar- 
riage David purchased a farm in the vicinity 
of Plain Grove, and devoted the remainder of 
his life to farming, in which he was very suc- 
cessful. During his younger days he followed 
the occupation of a wagon-maker at New 
Castle, Pa., and at Cincinnati, Ohio. After 
the discovery of oil in Pennsylvania, he was 
one of the first to drill oil wells at Oil City 
and Rouseville. He followctl that business 
to a consideralilc extent for al)out ten years; 
many wells drilled by him in that time were 
very successful, but one day his son John, sub- 
ject of this sketch, when six years of age, fell 
into an eight-foot tank, and only by the 
father's wonderful presence of mind and fear- 
lessness was he rescued just at the point of 
death. After such a fright, I\Ir. Hamilton 
gave up the oil business entirely, and returned 
to farming and dealing in horses. He always 
had a great love for and was a fine judge of 
horses. Having built a fine set of buildings, 
he raised many valuable horses, selling some 
as high as $2,000 a piece. Besides buying and 
selling horses for others he furnished Dahlman 
Bros, of New York City with many carloads 
of fine draft horses, of which breed he makes 
a specialty. He imported from France the 
well-known stallion, .\pricot. costing $4,000, 



506 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



also from England the stallion Bonnie Scot- 
land, also a fine Belgian stallimi. 

Mr. Hamilton has gained a ri'initation for 
ra.ising. training and dealing in horses. His 
li(inio is al\\a_\s open to Io\-ers of good horses 
and he bids them weleome. lie and his es- 
tinialile wife are the parents of nine children, 
all linely ediicaled. as follows: John W'.. snh- 
ject of this sketch; (ieorge A., a farmer; 
Alexander B.. M. D.. of Laramie, Wyoming; 
Aggie, wife of S. McCrary; Maggie, a suc- 
cessful teacher of Pittsburg; Da\-id C, a 
sheet-iron worker at Niles, Ohio; Lizzie, wife 
of Thomas Cole of Elhvood City; Richard, a 
sheet roller of Xiles, Ohio; and Thomas, at 
home. Dr. Hamilton's father has always 
taken an active interest in politics; he is a Re- 
publican, but never aspired to office. 

Dr. Hamilton, in 1887, in company with A. 
S. Knight, under the firm name of Knight &• 
Hamilton. l)uilt what is now the City Drug- 
store, conducting a drug business there for 
about three years. In 1890 C. L. Doty pur- 
chased the store. The Doctor is also associated 
with A. S. Knight and E. W. Rouse in oil pro- 
ducing in \\ arren and adjoining counties. He 
now owns six wells. He has always taken a 
\'er}- acti\e interest in the progress of North 
Clarendon, and has identified liimself with 
every enterj^rise tending toward its impro\e- 
ment, and has dealt in real estate to a con- 
siderable extent. He was muted in marriage 
with Soi)hia LiglUner. a daughter of Samuel 
Lighttier of Liberty, .Mercer County, Pa., 
where he is a prominent farmer. Their union 
has been productive of the following children; 
Louisa C; El\-a ]\Li\', who died when two 




months old; Jennie O.; and E. Gail. 

Dr. Hamilton is a pleasant, agreeable gen- 
tleman ;md has many warm friends. He is a 
Republican and has ser\-ed many years as 
school director. He is also a member and 
elder of the Presbyterian Church. Socially, 
lie is a meiuber of the Odd Fellows, Macca- 
bees and Knitihts of P\thias. 



OLOMON MITCHLEN, a promi- 
nent and influential citizen of Green 
township, Forest County, Pa., 
whose portrait is shown on the preceding 
page, is extensively engaged in the manufac- 
ture of coal barges and flatboats, being one of 
four firms engaged in that line of boat build- 
ing in the Lnited States. He is a man pos- 
sessed of an unusual amoimt of energy. He 
has applied himself strictly to his business af- 
fairs, and it may be said that he has l)een more 
than ordinarily successful. 

Mr. Mitchlen was born in the state of Ohio, 
in 1844, and was but ten years of age when he 
accompanied his parents to Pittsburg. Pa., 
where he received a limited education. How- 
ever, he was of an ambitious nature and has 
ne\er ceased to add to his knowledge of the 
wcjrld's affairs by posting himself on its hap- 
l)enings from day to day. When very young 
he went to work in a brick }-ard, but shortl_\" 
after that he entered the employ of a Mr. Trus- 
sell, with whom he learned the trade of boat- 
builder. He was suljsequentK- employed on 
the Monongahela and Ohio rivers, doing 
various kinds of work, and acquiring much 
practical experience. He received an appoint- 




OLI\KR YOUNG. 




MRS. AMAXDA McKINNEV YOUNG. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



511 



ment as mate on tlie steamer J. Bigley, which 
was engaged in towing coal barges, and con- 
tinued on the river until 1885, a period of 
twenty-three years. He then engaged with 
Collins & Wengel as a contractor for l)uilding 
coal barges and flatboats, and his work met 
with the highest approval of the firm. He 
went into this line of business for himself in 
1893, but still does contract work for Collins 
& Kreitler, successors to Collins & Wengel. 
He purchased a mill on Tionesta Creek, and 
besides building barges and flatboats, he man- 
ufactures boat bottoms, building materials, 
pine boards, and hard woods for all kinds of 
ri\er and boat use. He has good scaffolds 
and docks, having erected a new scafifold in 
1898-99, which measures 200 feet in length. 
His works have a capacity for manufacturing 
100 coal barges per year, exclusive of all other 
work. The mill is a modernized, circular mill 
and is run according to the most approved 
methods, having a capacity of 25,000 feet per 
da}-. It is operated by a r)5-horse power en- 
gine and boiler of Corry make; it contains a 
Stearns feeder, cutting logs up to forty-two 
feet in length — and an automatic log turner, 
j.-'cker, edging machine and finisher — besides 
numcrcnis devices arranged Ijy Mr. Mitchlen 
for the expeditious handling of the material. 
The waste, always a serious problem to lum- 
ber men, is ingeniously disposed of by ma- 
chinery — a greater jiart of it Jjeing burned for 
fuel, and the residue being mechanically de- 
stroyed by means arranged by the owner of 
the plant. He employs thirty-five men, and 
all barges are built for the Allegheny and Ohio 
river coal trade; the other products are 



shipped to all points. He possesses 108 acres 
of tine timber land located in Forest County, 
and two other tracts of good farm land, one 
consisting of thirty-two acres, and the other of 
fiftv. He has a handsome residence on the 
l>anks of the Tionesta, built by Mr. Wolf from 
plans submitted by himself. 

Mr. Mitchlen was joined in wedlock with 
Amelia Ressner, who was born in Pittsburg 
and attended the schools there. They have 
reared nine children , as follows : Harry ; John ; 
Howard; Edward; Wilbert; Emma (Witt); 
Annie (Hunter); Lucy (Curt); and Lydia. All 
of the older children received their scholastic 
training in the schools of Pittsburg, while the 
youngest attend school at Nebraska. PoHti- 
callv, Mr. ^ilitchlen is an unswerving Demo- 
crat and is serving as township treasurer and 
overseer of the poor. Religiously he is a 
n.ember of the Lutheran Church. Pie is a 
stockholder in the Forest County National 
Bank. 



RS. AMANDA McKINNEY 
YOUNG, whose ancestors were the 
first settlers in the vicinity of Gar- 
land, Warren County, Pa., now resides in the 
most comfortable circumstances on the old 
family homestead. She was born at that place, 
April 9, 1848, and is a daughter of Peter and 
Sarah (White) McKinney. 

Her grandfather was Patrick McKinney, 
who was born in the north of Ireland, but was 
of Scotch descent. There is a curious family 
tradition as to the manner in which this gen- 
tleman set sail for America, ami the circum- 




612 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Stances which prompted his removal to this 
country. In order to escape a military draft, 
he l)ccanie a stowaway on a sailins;' \essel, 
whose destination was .\merica, and won the 
favor of the sailors, who supjilied him with the 
means of subsistence, .\ftcr three days of the 
vovaj^e had been passed he made his appear- 
ance on deck, to the threat indij^nation of the 
cajitain. who threatened to return him. But 
Patrick, being musically inclmed and the pos- 
sessor of a fine voice, and holding fraternal ties 
with the captain, won that of^cer's friendship 
to such an e.xtent that, rather than deliver him 
up to the authorities, he conni\'cd with him to 
elTect his escape. ■ Landing in New Jersey, 
Patrick took up the occupation of a farmer 
and bought some land. He formed a matri- 
monial alliance there and l)ecame the parent of 
three children, namely: Peter; IMary (White): 
and Elizabeth, deceased. 

Peter IMcKinney, the father of our subject, 
was born in the state of New Jersey, April 17, 
181 7, and there attended school. He learned 
the occupation of a farmer, and subsequently 
removed to Garland, Pa., where he entered the 
employ of Mr. ^^'hite, in the lumbering busi- 
ness. He later became interested in lund)er- 
ing and acquired extensive tracts of timber 
land. In 1870 his wealth was estimated at 
$80,000. He was a very charitable man and 
liberally contributed to all charitable under- 
takings, in fact he was injudicious in many of 
his contribution-s, and his wealth all went to 
that end. He passed to the realms of rest in 
December, 1886. In political afifiliations he 
was a Democrat, but never accepted an office. 
Religiouslv he was verv liberal-minded. In 



social circles he was a member of Columbus 
Lodge, No. 264, F. & A. M.; and of the I. O. 
O. F., of which he was ])ast grand. He was 
joined in marriage with Sarah White, a 
daughter of James White. 

James \\'hite was a direct descendant frf)m 
William and ]\l,iry W bite, who came over to 
this country in the Mayflower, and to whom a 
son. Peregrine, was born on that famous ves- 
sel. They settled in Massachusetts, and the 
first bearing the family name to locate in 
Pennsylvania State was Jiles White, who 
moved from Vermont to New York, and then 
to Pennsylvania, building the first mill on the 
Brokenstraw River in Warren County. It was 
in 1799 when that early pioneer brought his 
wife and five children up the Allegheny River 
to where Franklin now stands. Leaving them 
comfortably housed there, he spent the entire 
winter in hunting for a suitable home. Severe 
was the test of this man's wonderful courage, 
and many were the hardships which he en- 
dured l)efore he finally selected his future 
home. This he located at a place for many 
years known as Whitestown, later as Mullin- 
gar, and at the present time as Garland. He 
was very successful in his business afYairs and 
lived there the remainder of his life. His son, 
James White, grandfather of Mrs. Young, was 
engaged in lumbering, and was the employer 
of Mr. McKinney, the father of our subject. 
He married Eunice Tuttle, and they became 
the parents of Sarah \\'hite, Mrs. Young's 
mother, who was born on the homestead, 
April 24, 1820. She was a woman of culture 
and possessed many excellent qualities. She 
was a member of the Daughters of Rebecca. 



THIRTV-SEVKNTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



513 



Mr. and Mrs. McKinney became the parents 
of eii^ht children, as follows: Olive, born Jan- 
uary 29, 1841, married to Amos Ross; Eliza- 
beth (Cross), born November 14, 1843; 
Amanda, the subject hereof: Almeda, born 
May 7, 1851; Orris F., born December 9, 
1853; Lina, born July 21, 1856; Stella, born 
June 2^, 1859; and Genevieve, born January 
17, 1863. Mrs. McKinney died in 1876, at the 
age of fifty-six years. 

Amanda McKinney received her primary 
education in the district schools, l)ut was sub- 
sequently placed under the instructions of a 
private tutor at home. In July, 1872, she was 
united in marriage with Oliver Young, a de- 
scendant on his mother's side from George 
Walton, a signer of the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence, and on his father's side from Col. 
Otis Young, who won distinction in the War 
of 1812. 

Oliver Young was born at Peacham, Cale- 
donia County, Vermont, March 4, 1829, but 
at an early age his family moved to St. Johns- 
bury, where his father perfected the Fairbank 
Scale. Otis Young, his father, was a mechanic 
of exceptional ability, and his line of work 
soon took him to Pittsburg, Pa., where he or- 
ganized the Novelty Machine Works, the only 
works of the kind west of Philadelphia. He 
was a man of literary tastes and during his life- 
time collected one of the finest private libraries 
in the country. Oliver Young obtained his 
education at Pittsburg, after which he went to 
Kent, Ohio, and later to Kalamazoo, Mich., 
where he lived for a number of years. He 
then returned to Ohio and took a contract on 
the building of the Atlantic and Great West- 



ern Railroad, owned by English capitalists. 

He subsequently took a contract on the Sala- 
manca & Meadville R. R., and became con- 
ductor on the first division. He later resigned 
and built the Oil Creek and A. V. R. R., of 
which he was superintendent. He later went 
to Illinois, where he was awarded another 
large contract to build a railroad; and at about 
this time he turned his attention to coal min- 
ing, o])erating largely at Gillespie and Litch- 
field, and later at Massillon, Ohio. He was a 
splendid financier and was a business associate 
of Mark Hanna and Judge Day. He was dis- 
tinctively a business man, and all of his ener- 
gies were devoted to business interests. He 
was a public-spirited citizen and was a liberal 
contributor to all worthy enterprises. He was 
a kind husband and an indulgent father, and 
his friends wherever he w-as known w'ere 
numerous. By his first w'ife he was the father 
of one son, Otis. Mr. Young died in July, 
1886. 

Otis Young received his early education in 
the Cleveland high schools, and later attended 
the Brooks Military Academy at Cleveland, 
O., where he won high distinction as a scholar, 
receiving second honors. Upon leaving school 
he went into his father's office, and, upon the 
death of the latter, succeeded to the business 
as a partner to his stepmother. In 1895 they 
sold out and retired to the beautiful place in 
Garland, which has been the family home for 
si.x generations. The house was remodeled 
and the grounds beautified, and here they 
have since lived in contentment. Otis Young 
is a farmer, and although he had no agricul- 
tural training, he has through his natural busi- 



514 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



ness ability, and tlie employment of scientific 
nicthods (acquired by persistent study), ac- 
complished results that have surprised the 
older and more experienced farmers. He and 
Mrs. Young are extensive travelers and have 
visited almost every point of interest in the 
United States, and iiave just completed an ex- 
tended tour in Egypt and to other points of 
interest in the Old \\'orld. 

l\Irs. Young is a woman of culture and has 
devoted many years of her life to study and 
scientific research. She possesses a knowl- 
edge of creeds and isms that is surprising in 
one so far removed from the centers of culture. 
She possesses advanced ideas, and has at her 
command the largest private collection of 
books in her section of the country. It is 
composed of rare old volumes, scientific works 
and classical literature. Mrs. Young and her 
son have similar tastes as to literature and art, 
and in the company of this extraordinary col- 
lection of books they spend many happy 
hours. 

A portrait of Oliver Young is presented 
with this sketch, being accompanied by that 
of his widow, Mrs. Amanda Mc Kinney 
Young. 



-rr^EV. GEORGE \V. SCHNEIDER, a 
\y\ ^Methodist minister and superinten- 
^^^ dent of the Chambers estate oil 
properties, is a prominent resident of Tiona, 
Mead townshij), Warren County, Pennsyl- 
vania. Twenty-si.x years ago Rev. Mr. 
Schneider Ijccame an exhorter in the M. E. 
Church, and fifteen years ago became a local 



preacher. In 1896 he was ordained by Bishop 
I'owler, at Oil City, rennsyhania. Since then 
Rev. Mr. Schneider has officiated in many pul- 
pits. His work for the Master is free, as he re- 
fuses absolntel}' to accept any fees. That his 
efforts have been productive of much good in 
the church cannot be doubted. He is a man 
of more than ordinary ability, of warm heart, 
and of deep Christian fervor. As an ex- 
pounder of true Christian principles, he is suc- 
ceeding beyond the possibility of question. 

He was born in Branka, IIano\er, Ger- 
many, Feljruary 29, 1833, and received an ex- 
cellent education in his native country and 
later learned the trade of a carriagemaker very 
thoroughly. Hearing of the wonderful ad- 
vantages of the new world he decided to bet- 
ter his chances by emigrating to America, 
which he did at the age of twenty-five years. 
He located, for a short time only, in Balti- 
more, Md., and later settled in Butler County, 
Pa., at Martinsburg, where he worked at his 
chosen trade about one year; he subsequently 
v.ent to Oueenstown, Armstrong County, 
Fennsyhania. While there he fell a \ictim to 
the charms of Catherine Peters, an accom- 
plished daughter of Adam Peters. Their wed- 
ding occurred in 1859. Two }-ears later he 
moved to Oil City, where he followed con- 
tracting, building homes, oil tanks and any- 
thing else in demand, being not only a pro- 
ficient workman, but also a fine draughtsman. 
He remained as a contractor in Oil City for 
about twenty-six years, settling at tlie close 
of that time in \\'arren. Pa., where he accepted 
the foremanship of the works of Wesley 
Chandjers, one of the most extensive oil pro- 




DR. GEORGE TOWNLEV PRVOR 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



517 



ducers in the vicinity of Warren at that time. 
Mr. Schneider had charge of abont lOO wells. 
In 1895 he became snperintendent and gen- 
eral manager of the Chamliers estate, which 
controlled the largest nnniber of oil producing 
wells in the field. Since then Mr. Schneider 
has had full charge of the following wells: 
61 in ^^'arren Giunty ; 53 in McKean 
County; 12 in Clarion County, and 70 in Ve- 
nango County. His position is one of great 
responsibility and trust, but his duties to the 
estate are fulfilled promptly and faithfully, for 
which he receives a very handsome salary. 

Mr. Schneider became one of the pioneer oil 
men on Lower Oil Creek in the early "sixties," 
and at the present time is personally inter- 
ested to a considerable extent in the produc- 
tion of oil in Warren County. December 19, 
1886, he settled at Tiona, where he at present 
resides. From his residence a broad, open 
view of the oil fields is obtained, thus enabling 
Mr. Schneider, while enjoying the comforts 
of home, to see almost everything that trans- 
pires in the fields. He also owns a residence 
in Oil City. 

Mr. Schneider's wife, Catherine, is a daugh- 
ter of Adam and Christine (Sylvis) Peters. 
Mr. Peters was a prominent and progressive 
farmer of Armstrong County. He died at the 
age of forty-five years, while his companion 
lived to the good old age of eighty years. 
Their children are as follows: Jacoba; Cather- 
ine M.; Elizabeth; Susan; Solomon; Cham- 
bers; Mary Jane; Matilda; Craig; Eveline and 
Kobert. 

Mr. and Mrs. Schneider arc the parents of 
four children: .\lbert L.; William; J. Edward, 



and Eva May. A11)ert L., who is a foreman 
for Rev. Mr. Schneider at Tiona. married 
Lena Kisler. They have five children; .\nnie; 
Mary; Jennie; George; and Charles. William 
is deceased, leaving a wife and one chilcl, Tim- 
othy. J. Edward married Myrtle White and 
has two daughters, Leah and Nina; J. Edward 
is an oil-well contractor at Tiona. Eva May is 
the wife of William E. Lamey of \'enango 
County. They have four children living, and 
lost one. Those living are; G. Raymond; 
Carl; Jean, and Catherine. Rev. Mr. Schnei- 
der has been a public servant in the minor of- 
fices of the township, and is a member of the 
temperance organizaton of Royal Templars. 



R. GEORGE TOWNLEY PRYOR. 
Foremost among physicians and 
surgeons of note in the Thirty-sev- 
enth Judicial District stands George T. Pryor. 
who for the past twelve years has been a resi- 
dent of Shcftield, Warren County, Pa. He is 
not only a successful practitioner, enjoying 
the full benefits of a large and lucrative prac- 
tice among patrons of the best class, but is 
also one of the leading citizens of the com- 
munitv, active in the welfare and progress of 
the town. 

George T. Pryor was born in Milwaukee. 
Wis., in i8C}0, and is a son of William Robert 
Taylor and Elizabeth Mary (Sharp) Pryor. 
He attended the public schools of his native 
city, graduating from the high school at the 
head of his class when eighteen years of age. 
Being left an orphan when still young in years, 
he had to choose for himself an occupation for 



518 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



liis fulurc. He readily deeided upon the pro- 
fession of a physieian and innncdiately began 
the study of medicine undL-r the preceptorship 
of Prof. J. F. ]\rinor, M. D., at Buffalo, N. Y. 
He tlien entered tlie University of Buffalo, 
from the ^^ledical Department of which he was 
graduated with honors in 1882. While an un- 
dergraduate he was in almost daily attendance 
at the Sisters of Charity and Buffalo General 
Hospitals, frequently serving as substitute for 
the Resident or Assistant House Physicians 
during their absence. Launching out upon his 
professional career he was first appointed 
Resident Physician to the Monroe Coun- 
ty Hospital at Rochester, N. Y., but 
resigned from this position to accept a 
lucrative practice at Cherry Grove, Pa., 
where he began the practice of his pro- 
fession. His success was marked from 
the start and he soon saw the necessity 
of seeking a larger field. In 1887 he removed 
to Sheffield, Warren County, one of the best 
business towns in the county (excepting War- 
ren alone), where he is still in active practice. 
Dr. Pryor has not confined his energies 
wholly to the duties of his profession, but has 
also taken an active part in other fields of in- 
dustry. Since 1885 the oil business has com- 
manded much of his attention, and he is ex- 
tensively interested in the production of crude 
l)etr()leum in his vicinity, being the principal 
member of the Pryor Oil Company and the 
Pell Creek Oil Company. He is also the 
holder of a large amount of stock in the Tox- 
away Company, of Sapphire, N. C. This com- 
pany was organized in 1894 and even now has 
established cme of the most popular sununer 



resorts in the Blue Ividgc Mountains. Worth)' 
of first mention is the Fairfield lim, in the 
Sapphire X'alley, at the foot of Ml. Toxaway. 
This hole! is a large, handsome structure, fin^- 
nished with e\ery modern convenience, and 
v>as built esi)eciall_\- for the acconnnodation 
and pleasure of guests. It is surrounded by 
spacious lawns, pictures(|ue groves, and lovely 
drives. A beautiful artificial lalce lies directly 
in front of its broad porches. But in the opin- 
ion of those of the stronger sex, the hotel with 
its many attractions is not to be comjiared 
\\ ith the noted club hcnise or hunting lodge on 
Mt. Toxaway, with an elevation of 5.500 feet. 
This elevation commands one of the most 
beautiful \'iews, not surpassed in grandeur by 
any scenery in the United States. In passing 
through the long, winding dri\eways, one 
sees clear, sparkling streams, which contain 
mail}' beautiful waterfalls. The streams event- 
ually empty into the Savannah River, and con- 
tain an abundance of fine trout. In close 
proximity to some of these drives, the cliffs of 
Old Whitesides attain a perpendicular of 1,800 
feet, and not least among the pleasant spots 
that delight the eye are the grand old forests, 
the quaint little village of Cashiers, the nu- 
merous ante-bellum country homes and other 
]iicturesque places. 

The lands of the Toxawa\- Company 
abound in rich mineral products, j)rinci]ial 
among these being corundum, gold, asbestos, 
mica and soapstone. Over 1,000 acres of the 
company's land is under fine culli\'ation. They 
ha\e built mills, the swift uKuuitain streams 
furnishing alnmdant water jiower for the 
washing and prei)aring of the different min- 




JACOB KKl.LKR 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL IJISTRICT 



crals, arid the resources of the property are 
heing- rai)i(lly (1cvc1()1)(.mI. It is, as a summer 
resort, siiuply ideal, aud exeursiou parties 
tliere liave already heeome very pojiuiar. It is 
reached liy stage, after a drive of tweuty-eiglit 
miles over one of the most beautiful mountain 
roads that has e\'er been constructed, and is 
amply supplied with telephone and telegraphic 
communication. And last, but not least, the 
climate is perfection, being comparable to 
none l)ut that of those world-famous resorts 
in the south of Italy. Dr. Pryor is justly proud 
of being not only an extensive stockholder, 
but also a director of such a company. 

William Robert Taylor Pryor, father of Dr. 
Pryor, was a native of Somersetshire, Eng- 
land, but with his father's family came to 
Rochester, N. Y., when he was but three years 
of age. In 1837, he w^ent to Milwaukee, Wis., 
and purchased some 4oacresof land in theout- 
skirts of the then small town. This land was 
only partially improved, most of it being cov- 
ered with timber. He busied himself in clearing 
this farm, which, when bereft of the forest 
trees, proved very rich, and when cultivated 
was highly productive. Mr. Pryor early saw 
that his land would be needed for city pur- 
poses, or would 1)e absorbed by the Illinois 
Steel Company's plant near by. lie accord- 
ingl}' made a plat of his propertv. and laid it 
out in town lots and streets; in tliat way he 
sold it, realizing a handsome pi'olit on his in- 
\estment. The same spot is to-day covered 
with substantial business blocks antl beautiful 
homes, and is that part of Milwaukee known 
as Bay View, it being distinguished in the di- 
rectorv I)v that name. ^Ir. Pr\t)r died at an 



early age, being forty-eight years old, while 
his companion's age at the time of her death 
was forty-seven. They were the ])arents of a 
large family of children, nine of whom grew to 
maturity and afterward became prominent. 
Mr. Pryor was a man who took a leading part 
in local politics, being a decided Republican 
in his views. 

Dr. Pryor has never fallen a victim to 
Cupid's darts, although he has an abundance 
of friends and admirers. Pie is a Past Grand 
of Sheffield Lodge, No. 481, I. O. O. F.; Past 
Chancellor of Sheffield Lodge, No. 51. 
Knights of Pythias: Assistant Surgeon-Gen- 
eral of the Lhiiform Rank. K. of P.. and Colo- 
nel of the Pennsylvania Brigade. He is also 
Head Physician for Pennsylvania, New^ Jersey 
and Delaware for the Modern V\'oodmen of 
America. A recent portrait of Dr. Pryor ac- 
companies this sketch, being presented on a 
preceding page. 



ffflYACOB KELLER, the leading mer- 
chant-tailor of Warren, Pa., and the 
longest-established tailor in business in 
that city, was born in Sundhausen, Alsace, 
France (now jiart of (lermany), October 22, 
1847. ^^^ \^'^'^ educated in Alsace, and served 
his apprenticeship as ;i tailor with his father. 
At the age of twenty years he was drafted into 
the ann_\- aud served as a soldier three years in 
the Franco-Prussian War. 

In 1871 Mr. Keller came to this country, 
immediately moving to Warren, Pa., where he 
worked as a tailor, and also learned the art of 
cutting clothes, with several employers, for 



522 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



about seven j'ears. In 1878 our subject went 
into business on liis own account, fonninsj a 
co])artnerslnp with Mr. Kul<iw. wliich was 
continued for a year. Mr. Keller then deter- 
niined to do business by liimself, which he has 
since done with stratifying success, his mer- 
chant-tailoring business having increased cor- 
respondingly as the town of Warren has 
grown. For nineteen years, Mr. Kel- 
ler's shop was on the second door of 
the block in which he is located, but 
so large did his trade become that he 
was obliged to occupy a store on the 
ground floor, and he now uses the old rooms 
on the upper floor as a workshop. He carries 
a large assortment of goods of the best quali- 
ties. He is a wide-awake man cjf business, 
thoroughly understanding every particular of 
his trade, and now has one of the largest busi- 
ness houses in Warren. He takes no measures 
for outside firms, nor does he act as agent for 
others. He believes in employing home labor 
and keeping money in circulation in his home 
town. 

February 10, 1873, Mr. Keller was married 
to Miss Elizabeth Huenig, who was born in 
Ursenbach, Canton Bern, Switzerland, June 3, 
1850. To them have been born three chil- 
dren: Mamie, who was born March 10, 1874, 
and died September 18, 1882; Mertie, who 
was born August 19, 1877; and Frederick C, 
born August 8, 1881. Jacob Keller is a prom- 
inent Mason, being a member of North Star 
Lodge, No. 241, F. & A. M., of Occidental 
Chapter, No. 63, R. A. M., and of Warren 
Commandery, Knights Templar. He also is a 
member of the Roval Arcanum and of the 



Knights of Fythias. In politics he is an active 
Republican. Mr. Keller and his family are 
meml)ers of the h'irst Lutheran Church of 
Warren, Pa. Mr. Keller's jiortrait accom- 
panies this sketch. 



/^TifoRGE G. KEMP, the efficient and 
\^X accommodating postmaster of Lotts- 
ville, Warren County. Pennsylvania, 
is also a successful merchant of that place, and 
besides being a whole-souled citizen, is a gen- 
eral favorite in Freehold township. Mr. Kemp 
\r^ one of the leading business men of Lotts- 
ville, and during the years of his stay there 
he has been included among the ablest pro- 
moters of the place, being active, energetic, 
and almost untiring in his efforts to advance 
the interests of his community. His mercan- 
tile life dates back to 1894, when he purchased 
the stock of Kane & Johnson, and continued 
the general store started b_\- them. Mr. Kemp 
seems to be particularly adapted to his present 
business, and under his able management the 
store rapidly took on an entirely diiYerent ap- 
pearance. It is now well stocked with dry 
goods, hardware, groceries, and, in fact, every- 
thing necessary to equip a first-class general 
store calculated to meet the needs and wants 
of a community of that size. 

Mr. Kemp's place of business is always neat 
and clean, wearing an air attractive and invit- 
ir.g to the purchaser; and besides his well- 
kept stock, the post office, which occupies a 
conspicuous part of the store, is no mean fac- 
tor in securing him many a customer, who 
comes ostensibly for the purpose of getting 




THOMAS FRANKLIX RITCHKV. 



THIRTY-SEVblNTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



525 



mail, bu* takes advantage of the opportunity 
to invest in some of tlie splendid bargains 
v.Iiich are displayed on his counters. Mr. 
Keniii has been postmaster fur the past four 
years, and has filled that position in a very 
capable and satisfactory manner. He is a Re- 
publican, but carries his conscience into poli- 
tics as well as into his daily transactions. He 
v.as born in Lottsville, March 20, 1865, is a 
son of Xelson and Annie (McCarthy) Keni]), 
and grandson of Amasa Keni]), a life-long 
farmer by occupation. 

Nelson Kemp, father of our subject, hails 
from the "'Buckeye" state, received his edu- 
cation in the public schools of his natix'e place, 
Conneaut, Ohio. When grown to manhood 
lie engaged in agricultural pursuits in the 
county of his birth for several years, and then 
removed to Warren County, Pennsylvania, 
purchasing several farms in Freehold town- 
shi]), which he still owns. He was joined in 
matrimony with Annie McCarthy, and both 
are well-known and popular residents of Free- 
hold township, where they live in the full en- 
ji yment and comfort of their rural home, 
which has been fitted up with modern con- 
veniences to suit the fancy of its owners. In 
his political convictions Mr. Kemp is a Re- 
l)ublicaii, but has ne\-er sought office. He is 
a memlier of Columbus Lodge, No. 264, F. & 
A. M., and also of Lottsville Lodge, No. 631, 
L O. O. F. 

Our sul)ject was instructed in the district 
schools in his nati\'e township, after leaving 
•W'hicli he engaged in farming, buying at that 
time a tract of partly cleared land, consisting 
of 96 acres. Ten years later he sold that farm 



and purchased a larger tract of timber land, 

which he cleared, making the most he could 
out of the lumber. In October, 1894, Mr. 
Kemp discontinued farming and lumbering, 
and went into the mercantile business. Ger- 
trude Williams, a pleasant and attractive 
young lad)' of Lotts\'ille, Ijecame his wile, and 
is the chief source of the comfort and happi- 
ness of his home. Mrs. Kemp is a daughter of 
Gerald Williams, a highly respected citizen of 
Lottsville. Besides being postmaster, our sub- 
ject has served as towmship treasurer. He is 
a charter member of Lottsville Lodge, No. 
ri3i, I. O. O. F., and a past grand officer and 
the present treasurer of the same lodge. Be- 
ing a man of enterprise, he has always evinced 
a fitting interest in the welfare and progress 
of his present place of residence, and his en- 
ergy, probity, and shrewdness have won him 
the respect and esteem of all his fellow-citi- 
zens, irrespective of party, the prejudices of 
which oftentimes creep in and destro\' friend- 
shijis between good and honest men. 



fHOMAS FRANKLIN RITCHEY, a 
leading attorney of Tionesta, Forest 
County, Pa., with a verv large prac- 
tice, whose portrait ;icconii)anies this sketch, 
is known tliroughout this state as one of the 
al:)lest and most successful lawyers in Penns\l- 
vania. His brilliant success has been wdii by 
faithful, persevering work, and liy ability 
which places him in the front rank among the 
attorneys of the Keystone State. In several 
criminal cases particularly Mr. Ritchey has 
won a high reputation as an indefatigable 



526 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



worker, and an incomparable fastener of facts 
and circumstances together in strong and in- 
controvertible array. 

Mr. Ritchey was born July 18. 1S43. •" 
Armstrong County. Pa., and is a son of Thom- 
as and Mar}- (Calhoun) Ritchey, and a grand- 
son of Thomas Ritchey, who was a native of 
the north of Scotland, of Scotch-Irish parents, 
and came to the United States when he was 
but one year and a half old. The great-grand- 
father was a farmer and a tanner and his son. 
Thomas, the grandfather of Thomas F., suc- 
ceeded to his business in Indiana County. 
IVnnsylvania, in which the original immi- 
gn^nt settled with his family. Mr. Ritchey pos- 
sesses a most interesting family relic, a pair of 
silver knee-buckles, which were worn by his 
great-grandfather more than one hundred and 
twenty years ago. The great-grandfather was 
twice married, and reared a large family of 
children. The father of Thomas F. was bom 
in Indiana County. Pa., in February, 1S07, 
and for many years followed his occupations 
as a farmer and carpenter. He married Mary 
Calhoun, daughter of Judge John Calhoun, 
of Armstrong County. The father of Thomas 
F. was a very active man, taking great inter- 
est in the affairs of the township in which he 
resided for so many years. He and his wife 
were faithful and active members of the Pres- 
byterian Church. Mrs. Ritchey died at the 
age of fifty-five years, and was sur\ived bv 
her husband, who passed to his final rest in 
1891, at the advanced age of eighty-five years. 
The parents sleep in the cemeteni- at Con- 
cord, Armstrong County. Pa. To them were 
bom eight children, four sons and four daugh- 



ters. One son died in infancy, and a daughter. 
Mary Frances, passed away at the age of twen- 
ty-five years. Of the others there are: James 
.\.. who is a graduate of Washington and Jef- 
ferson College, and also of the Western Theo- 
logical Seminary of Allegheny, Pa., and who 
was for a number of years president of Lenox 
College, Iowa; E. A., a maiden sister of our 
subject ; Xannie, a younger sister, who resides 
at home; ^lartha, wife of J. T. Shoemaker; 
Dr. John A., a leading physician and surgeon 
in Oil City. Pa., w4iere he entered upon his 
practice twenty-five years ago, after graduat- 
ing from Jefferson Medical College of Phila- 
delphia: and Thomas F.. the subject of this 
review. 

The last named was reared on his father's 
farm and received such common-school edu- 
cation as he could obtain when the work on 
the farm did not demand all of his time. He 
taught school as he neared manhood, and also 
continued to do farm work, and to study dili- 
gently with a view to acquiring the education 
which has been so useful to him in placing 
him in the front rank of his profession. 
The first common school Mr. Ritchey taught 
contained seventy-three pupils. Subsequent- 
ly he attended the academy at Glade Run. and 
the State Normal School at Edinboro. Erie 
County. Pa. He taught in common schools 
and academies for about thirteen years, and 
at the end of his experience as a teacher, took 
up the study of law, in the office of Hon. 
George A. Jenks, one of the famous citizens of 
the commonwealth. Mr. Ritchey graduated 
from the law department of the University of 
Michigan at Ann Arbor. Mich., in the class 



THIRTY-SE\ENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



627 



of 1874, and was immediately admitted to 
practice in the courts of Alicliigan. Subse- 
quently he returned to Pennsylvania and was 
admitted to practice in Clarion County in 
1874. In 1880, seeking a wider field and bet- 
ter opportunity for his unusual ability, he re- 
moved to Tionesta, where he has since resided, 
and has become one of the leading citizens as 
well as one of the foremost lawyers of Forest 
County and of the state. His practice is gen- 
eral and is very large, few cases of importance 
being in the Pennsylvania courts in which the 
services of Mr. Ritchcy are not sought. 

In criminal law .Mr. Ritchey has won great 
and deserved success and has most prominent- 
ly demonstrated his great ability, his shrewd- 
ness and his remarkable faculty for working 
out intricate problems. One of the most 
noted cases in which he has been conspicuous 
was the well known Shippen murder case, in 
which Mr. Shijjpen was charged with having 
shot one of his employees, and in which some 
of the best legal talent in the state of Penn- 
sylvania was engaged, on both sides. Mr. 
Ritchey also won great distinction for his part 
in the celebrated \\'agner burglary and rob- 
bery case. His display of perseverance, of love 
for the right, and protection of the innocent, 
and his shrewdness in ferreting out the crim- 
inals, gained for him a reputation both as law- 
yer and as citizen which will be enduring. The 
cnme, which was most atrocious in charac- 
ter, was committed May 3, 1887. One of the 
burglars. McClary, was shot and killed bv a 
minor son of Wagner. Two of the perpetra- 
tors, Wilson and Hagerty, were arrested, con- 
victed and sent to prison within a compara- 



tively short time after the dreadful deed was 
done. But Mr. Ritchey, who participated in 
the case, was not satisfied with the first results, 
as he was convinced that others, equally as 
guilty as those who had been i)unished, had 
not been apprehended and called to account 
for their share in the terrible crime which so 
shocked all good citizens. For two and a half 
years Mr. Ritchcy (piietly. and with remarka- 
ble cleverness, followed clew after clew and 
ferreted out the other guilty ones. He wove 
such a network of circumstances, and so clev- 
erly were they presented to the coml and jury, 
that on September 25, 1889, Aquilla and Sic 
Mong, his son, were sentenced to terms of 
eight and ten years, respectively, in the peni- 
tentiary. These men, as the history of the 
case showed, had been ruffians of whom peo- 
ple were much afraid, and who had terrorized 
citizens as they pleased. Mr. Ritchey was 
highly complimented for his work in the case, 
and his action was considered a great public 
benefaction. 

Mr. Ritchey is a Democrat, but so far in 
his political career he has not sought office. 
He is a past master in Masonry, and a leading 
meml)er of the I. O. O. F. He is president 
of the Tionesta tias Company, ami was one of 
tlie leading promoters of the Tionesta water 
works; also a director in the Forest Ci)unty 
National Baids-. On August 16. 1876. onr 
subject married Miss Rebecca F. Colvin, a 
daughter of M. A. Colvin of Brookville, Jef- 
ferson Conntw Pa. To them have been born 
three children: John C, Lenore, and Thomas 
F.,- — the youngest. Thomas, being five years 
of age. Mr. Ritchey and his family reside in a 



528 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



very pleasant home, which is a center with 
those who are prominent in social circles. Mr. 
and Mrs. Ritchey are members of the Presby- 
terian Church of Tionesta. 



/WTc )RGE WAGNER. It is seldom that 
Vj^T we have the pleasure of writing the life 
of such a truly self-made man as 
George \Vagner of Marienville, Pa. His suc- 
cess in life is but another illustration of what 
niav be accom])lislied by energy, persever- 
ance and industry. Twenty-nine years ago he 
left his fatherland for America, and upon ar- 
riving at his destination he found that one 
lone 50-cent piece constituted his sole wealth, 
(Gradually Mr. Wagner worked his way 
from one sphere in life to another, until now 
he is one of the most prosperous lumliermen 
in Jenks township. Forest County, Pa., being 
a memlier of the firm of Wagner & Wilson, 
w ho own one of the most extensive and up-to- 
date luml)ering plants in this country. Be- 
sides an immense saw mill, operated by a band 
saw which saws about 50,000 feet of lumber 
])er (lav, this firm has ])laning and roller mills 
containing live rollers and all other modern 
improvements, together with a shingle mill 
whose ca])acity is 30,000 shingles ])er day. 
Thc company is now erecting an ;idditional 
shingle mill with a daily capacity of 50,000 
shingles. They own nearly (1,000 acres of 
land, of which 3,500 .acres are heavily tim- 
bered. To one who has never witnessed a 
large mill in oiieration it is worth a trip of 
many miles to see. This company also has 
ele\cn miles of private railrtjad with one Cli- 



max cog-gear engine for hill climbing, which 
weighs 27 tons, and one Porter engine for 
yard work, which weighs 14 tons. All outside 
work of the com]X'un- is done by contract, but 
on an average they have 80 men on their pay 
roll, and have the latest facilities for handling 
their vast amount of lumber. 

George \\'agner was born in Germany on 
May 30, 1852. He is a son of Jacob Wag- 
ner, and is one of a family of eight children. 
When eighteen years of age, seeing that his 
father had more than he could support, the 
subject of this sketch determined to seek new 
fields, and accordingly sailed for America. He 
h'.nded at Cincinnati with only 50 cents, no 
employment in view, and was unable to speak 
a word of the English language. P)Ut with the 
energy and perseverance that have character- 
ized his whole life, he was not long in securing 
work. Entering a baker shop, he learned that 
trade, but remained only about one year, as he 
did not like the night-work. He then went to 
Clarion County, Pa., and was em])loyed in the 
lumber woods as a day laborer until 1880. 
During that year he engaged with Curll, 
Campbell <S: Co., at Gilfoyle, Forest County, 
Pa. This company ])urchased 2,000 acres of 
timber land, but Mr. Wagner withdrew at the 
end of one year and went tt) I'rookston, where 
he .associated himself with Wagner, McClunc 
i<: Comiianw 'idiis coni]);uiy ])urch;ised two 
large mills, and carried on the nuanufacture of 
lumber for eight years. 

.\bout that time news reached Mr. Wagner 
of the splendid money-making chances in Cal- 
ifornia and after disposing of his various in- 
terests, he bade good-bve to the East, intend- 




THOMAS L. CHENEY. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



531 



ing to make his permanent home in the far 
West. P.ut after a year in that ilislant land, 
tlie yearnings for tlie old, familiar scenes re- 
turned and one day he sailed away from Cali- 
fornia and returned to his former home, where 
it is safe to say he will remain. Upon return- 
ing to Forest Count \. Mr. Wagner started in 
business at Pebble Dell in company with Mr. 
\\'iison, his present partner, purchasing and 
operating one mill for al)out two years. In 
1892 the subject of this sketch went to Marien- 
ville, — purchasing at that time a half interest 
in tlie firm of Haskell & Company. A year 
later his former partner. Mr. ^\'ilson, bought 
the Haskell interest, and the firm became 
known as W'agner & Wilson. The partner- 
ship thus formed still exists, and the compau}- 
now does an inuuense business. 

Mr. Wagner uses his influence in favor of 
the Republican party. He cast his first vote 
for William McKinley. He has also served 
as school director several times. He favors 
the Lutheran Church, of which he is a gener- 
ous supporter. 



HOMAS L. CHENEY, a prominent 
farmer living in Southwest township, 
Warren County. Pa., whose portrait 
accompanies this sketcii, owns one of tlie best 
ai)pointed and well kept farms in the county, 
and is a man of splendid character and excel- 
lent judgment. He was born in Southwest 
township, November 18, 1840, and is the son 
of Jonathan and Alice (Gilson) Cheney. 

Jonathan S. Cheney was born in Connecti- 
cut, received his education in that state, and 




also learned farming. He walked from Con- 
necticut to Pleasantxille, Pa., alone, and about 
1820 moved to Southwest township, where he 
had the distinction of being the first settler, 
and the first man to cut a log and build. On 
a farm of 100 acres he erected a log house, 
and barns, and after much clearing, did some 
farming, but made a business of lumbering. 
He was a successful jobber and in his time 
bought and sold considerable timber. He 
married Alice Gilson, a daughter of Thomas 
L. and Eleanor Gilson. Mrs. Cheney was pri- 
marily educated in the district schools. Tliis 
union was blessed with nine children, as fol- 
lows: Thomas L., the subject of this biogra- 
phy; Mary (Anderson); Eliza (Soul); Jona- 
than; Martha (Blakely); Ruth (Crosby); Hen- 
ry D.; Enuiia (Watson); and William, de- 
ceased. Jonathan S. Cheney had moved to 
Southwest township when there were no 
roads, and he did much to open and build 
them. He was a stanch Democrat, and served 
as constable. It was necessary for him to walk 
from Southwest to Warren in order to attend 
the quarterly sessions. He was a member of 
the Presbyterian Church, and died at the ad- 
vanced age of eighty-four years. His memory 
was warmly cherished by all, as he had been a 
good, faithful citizen. 

Thomas L. Cheney, the subject of this 
sketch, started in life with a very limited edu- 
cation, but being a man of will and energy, 
he has always grasped every opportunity 
w Inch was for his good, has made the most of 
it, and has been very successful in his business 
life. After leaving school he assisted his father 
for several years in the farming and lumbering 



532 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



liiisiness: lie then worked as s;i\vvor, for llirec 
years, for Benjruiiiii McCice. and later on weiil 
to work on tlie farm (if Joliii ( Itinini. 1 le then 
bought a farm of too aeres of his uncle, and 
started farming, lumhering and jobbing in bar 
rel sta\es, hauling his goods to l'leasant\ille 
and 'ritus\ille, and selling them in the oil 
fields. Then for four years he worked in ( )il 
Creek as driller and tool dresser, and at the 
end of that period he began coiUraeting walk- 
ing beams for rigs. He married January 29, 
1866, Naney A. Soul, who was born in Oswe- 
go. N. Y., and whose death occurred \'ery 
early. ]'^)r two years, Mr. Cheney carried on 
f.arming. and later added a sliiiigle mill, and 
board mill, conducting them for four \ears, 
when he sold the entire plant to Alcorn i\: 
( ieer. and leased the oil property to the Na- 
tional Oil Company of Titusville. They 
drilled for oil on the place, and were successful. 
Mr. Cheney married secondly, Anna Mc- 
Millan, a daughter of William and Jane 
(Wright) McMillan, of Scotch ancestry. She 
was born in Crawford County. I^a.. and ob- 
tained her education in that countx'. Mr. ;ind 
Mrs. Cliene\- are the jiarents of one child, — 
Mabel. — born June 1. iSi;3. ^Ir. Cheney 
worked for the oil company eight _\ears, when 
he resigned, and is now attending to his farm. 
There were twenty-five wells on his property, 
se\enteen of w hich are still [producing oil. His 
farm, which is one of the nicest and best kept 
in the township, does credit to Mr. Cheney's 
taste, for it is much admired, and on it stands 
one of the prettiest little houses in the town- 
ship, — the interior being excellently arranged. 
Mr. Cheney raises general farm truck, stock. 



and has a large number of bee hives. — the liees 
last year making 400 pounds of honey. A 
much larger yield is expected tliis year as Mr. 
Clieney has built mam- new lii\es. lie has 
cleared most of the farm, planted an orchard, 
and has erected splendid barns. His home is 
one to be admired by all, and Mr. Cheney feels 
that his efforts have been well rewarded. In 
jiolitics, the subject of our sketch is a Demo- 
crat and is serving as supervisor. He is a 
member of the Queen City Lodge, I. O. O. F., 
No. 304. 




OBERT Z. GILLESPIE, the genial 
superintendent of the Salmon Creek 
Lumber Company of Kcllett\ille. 
Ivingsley township, Forest County, Pa., was 
l)orn at Ross Run, Pa., October 13, 1856. He 
is a son of Christopher F. and Catherine E. 
(Zuendel) Gillespie, and grandson of David 
and Rebecca (Hays) Gillespie. Robert Gilles- 
pie recei\'ed his primary education in the dis- 
trict school, which was supplemented by a 
linishing course at Edinboro State Normal. 
lie immediately adopted the jjrofession of 
teaching which he followed until 1889, when 
he took a business course at Titus\ille Busi- 
ness College. 

Upon first going to the district of Kellett- 
\ille. Mr. Gillespie taught school and later 
kept books for the firm of Horton, Johnson & 
Co., the large tanners of that place, remaining 
ill their employ for a period of fi\'e years. He 
resigned at the close of that time to accept a 
more lucrative position with T. D. Collins, 
who is well-known as the best lumberman in 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JL'DICIAI. DISTRICT 



533 



Forest County, and is the proprietor of the 
Sahnon Creek Lunilier Company. 

Our subject Iiad previously gained ex- 
perience in liis father's luuil)er mills, and ac- 
cepted iiis present position in 1894. He has 
made a thorough study of the hunber business 
and is one of the best posted lumber men in 
the Thirty-seventh Judicial District. He has a 
great deal of work to do, keeping careful ac- 
counts, doing general clerical work in connec- 
tion with railroad business, as well as being 
telegraph operator. A brief and interesting ac- 
count of the company by which he is em- 
ployed is herewith appended. 

The Salmfin Creek Lumber C(jm[)any (Limit- 
ed) was organized in 1878, with Joseph Adam- 
son, president ; O. D. Hoskins, vice-president ; 
and George M. Kepler, superintendent. After 
the mill was built, Mr. Kepler remained sujjer- 
intendent f(_)r a time and the first log jobbers 
were George Harrington and John H. Berlin. 
The mill was a circular one with good ma- 
chinery. Finally a change was made a:id the 
work was done by contract. Justin Shawky 
had the contract of manufacturing the lumber; 
William Puttenberger had the contract of 
hauling all the finished products of the mill to 
the creek and piling the same there; ami Hon. 
Lewis Arner that of running them to the Pitts- 
burg market. In 1880 Joseph Adamson and 
Jacob Kepler bought out the interests of the 
other members, and operated the mill very 
successfully until 1S90. Soon afterward Jacob 
Kepler purchased his partner's interest and 
ran it alone until 1892. when the mill again 
changed hands. N. S. Foreman, G. W. Rob 
inson, R. M. Herman, and A. T- PufYenberger 



became owners of Mr. Kepler's contract. Six 
months after the new firm took possession, 
Mr. Foreman died and A. P. Kelly took his 
place in the firm. The business was conducted 
under the firm name of the Tionesta Lumber 
Comijany. In 1894, two years later, it became 
the property of T. I). Collins, the present 
owner. Mr. Collins' son, E. S. Collins, was 
superintendent of the business for two years 
and a lialf, wlien he left it to take charge of 
interests of his own in the state of Washing- 
ton, and Mr. Gillespie, who still retains the 
position, succeeded him as superintendent. 
The company has made numerous improve- 
ments o\'er the old methods of doing business. 
It has put in its own private railroad, telegraph 
lines, mill switch, etc., connecting it with other 
mills of Mr. Collins, thus making it a part of 
one of four of the most complete mill sxstems 
in the L^nited States. It is now a band mill, 
having planing mill, lath mill, and shingle mill 
additions. 

The tract in connection with the null com 
[irises 6,000 acres of timber land, 2,000 acres 
of which are now cleared. There are still 
about 200,000,000 feet of fine timber in the 
tract, most of which is hemlock. Li the yards 
of the company are al)out one million feet of 
finished lumber. In connection with the nn'll 
and o\\ necl by the company, are about twenty- 
two nice tenement houses and a store well 
stocked with everything necessary or desirable 
for the comfort of the employees. 

Li 1887 Mr. Gillespie was united in mar- 
riage with Alma P. Hoyt, a daughter of Wil- 
liam and Laura (Williams) Hoyt of Shefifield, 
Penns\lvania. .Vfter finishing her studies in 



534 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



tlie Sheffield and Tioncsta scliools Mrs. Gilles- 
pie taught school until her marriage with Mr. 
Gillespie. 'J'heir home is blessed with three 
ilaughters, Cora M., Grace A., and Christie 
Madge. 

David (iillespie, grandfather of our subject. 
was a native of Ireland and accompanied his 
parents to America when only eight years old. 
lie was joined in marriage with ]\ebecca 
Hays, of Scotch descent. The young folks 
settled in Washington County, Pa., but subse- 
(piently removed to Kittanning, .Armstrong 
County, Pa., where Air. Gillespie built the first 
brick house that was ever built in that pros- 
perous city. He was a plasterer by trade, and 
in 1838 moved to Mercer County, where he 
purchased a farm and remained until 1843, '"C" 
moving at that time to Franklin, Pa., where 
liis death occurred. Ten children were born 
to him and his worthy wife, five sons and five 
daughters. One of the sons was Christopher 
F., Robert Z. Gillespie's father. Two brothers 
still survive him and are residents of Alissouri. 
Three sisters are also living; they are, Mrs. 
Margaret McBride of Bradford; Mrs. Rachel 
Grove of Titusville; and Airs. Folwell of 
Dempseytown, Pa. 

Christopher Fred (iillespie, father of Robert 
Z., was born in Kittanning, Pa., March 31, 
1827, and died on Whig Hill, Forest County, 
Pa., Afay 4, 1897, aged seventy years, one 
month and three days. When a child, Chris- 
to])hcr, with his parents, removed to Alercer 
County, Pa., residing ;U Brownsville, where 
he grew^ to manhood. When about nineteen 
years of age, he went to Franklin, Pa., where 
he learned the trade of a puddler in the rolling 



mill. Owing to a strike, he discoiUinued that 
line of work and undertook farming. He af- 
terward went to Nebraska, Forest County, 
and entered the euijiloy of George Lacy, 
working in the lumber business for three or 
four }ears. Pie then went to Tionesta, where 
for a time he followed plastering and brick- 
laying. From Tionesta he went to Ross Run, 
where he li\-ed for fourteen years. He had a 
contract with Hamilton Stow for cutting and 
hauling logs, sawing them into lumber, and 
delivering the lumber on Tionesta Creek, at 
the mouth of Ross Run. While at Ross Run, 
he purchased a tract of land on German Hill, 
comprising 700 or 800 acres. Later he sold 
this property and purchased three farms on 
Whig Hill, in 1865. Two years later he l)uilt 
the house where he lived most of his remain- 
ing years. He also went into lumbering for 
himself, purchasing a saw mill at Tylersburg, 
Clarion County, Pa., which was operated Ijy 
Gillespie & Root. September 22, 1853. Air. 
Gillespie led to the altar Catherine E. Zuendel 
of German Hill. She was bom in Germany, 
and is a daughter of Henry and Dorothy 
Zuendel, who came to America when Cather- 
ine was but five years of age, settling on Ger- 
man Hill. There they lived many years, but 
sul)sequently removed to Fairview, Erie 
County, Pa., where they died. 

Six children were l)orn to Air. and Airs. 
Gillespie, namely : Franklin ; Robert Zuen- 
del, subject of this sketch; Henry Edward; 
William Samuel; Fred White; and Katie 
Elizabeth, wife of Albert Lightner. When a 
young man, Christopher F. Gillespie became 
converted to God, and while at Ross Run he 




NELSON V. WHEELER. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



637 



took up Christian duty and became an active 
worker in tlie cause. He died adherent to the 
Methodist faith, and it was his daily declara- 
tion that he was ready to go when God should 
call. His last illness, extending over a period 
of more than three years, was of such a nature 
as to produce great distress, but he died as 
peacefully as a child falls away to sleep. 

His Scotch-Irish descent would indicate a 
man of strong prejudices and convictions, and 
such he was. His likes and dislikes were 
strong. As a friend, there was no better. His 
was a logical mind, and he was not only big 
hearted, but tender hearted. Better advan- 
tages in early life would have shown him to 
1)6 a man of more than ordinary powers and 
possibilities. ^As it was, his character made 
itself felt and his personality left a deep im- 
pression wherever and whenever he chose to 
exert it in any direction. In politics, he was a 
Republican, and was the first postmaster at 
Whig Hill. He took quite an interest in local 
public affairs, and was enthusiastic on the sub- 
ject of good roads. He served as road-com- 
missioner for thirty-three consecutive years, 
and his roads are, and were, the best in Forest 
County. He took pride in doing any work 
intrusted to him in a creditable manner. In 
his death, the community mourned the loss of 
a worthy and useful citizen and man ; his wife 
the loss of a good husband; his children the 
loss of a father they lo\-ed and honored; and 
the church the loss of op» ^''ho l)elieved in her 
great truths and dietl in her faith. He was a 
trustee in the Methodist Church in three dif- 
ferent towns. In connection with Eli Berlin 
I'.e built the first church on Whig Hill, and 



gave ground for the school house and for the 
cemetery. He was a valued member of Ti- 
onesta Lodge, No. 369, I. O. O. F., whose 
members attended the funeral and partici- 
pated in the funeral exercises according to the 
ritual of the order. 

Like his honored father, our subject is an 
earnest Republican. He is now serving as 
justice of the peace, and has served as census 
enumerator. \\'hen only twenty-one years of 
age he was elected to fill the important posi- 
tion of township auditor, and in 1891 was 
elected county auditor. He is a member of 
the M. E. Church, being trustee, steward, and 
class leader in that church. He is a member 
and past master of Olive Lodge, No. 557, F. 
& A. M., and past grand of Tionesta Lodge, 
No. 369, I. O. O. F. Mr. Gillespie is a bright, 
energetic business man, and is a splendid type 
of an up-to-date hustler. 



m 



ELSON P. WHEELER, one of the 
most prosperous citizens of Forest 
County, Pa., whose portrait is pre- 
sented on the opposite page, has attained a 
wide prominence throughout that section of 
the state as general manager of the extensive 
plants of the firm of Wheeler & Dusenbury, 
located at Endeavor, in Hickory township, at 
Newtown Mills, Kingsley township, and in 
Limestone township, Warren County, as well 
as through his connection with other flourish- 
ing enterprises. He is a son of William F. 
and Flora (Atkins) Wheeler, and was born 
in Portville, N. Y., November 4, 1841. 
His great-grandfather was ^\'illiam Wheel- 



538 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



cr. wlio \\as the son of one of tln'ee l)r()tlici"s 
who originated the family in this eonntry, 
having come from Wales to Xew London. 
Connecticut. In ijoo he married Hannah 
Frencli at Xew Lcjndon. and six children 
blessed their home, namely : Ivhcnczer; James; 
\\'illiam; John; Joseph; and Hannah. Mv. 
Wheeler died in 1783. 

William Wheeler, the grandfather of Nel- 
son P.. was l)orn in New London, Conn., in 
1774. and was a])prenticed to learn the 
clcjthier's trade at the age of eight \ears, un- 
der Roger Parke at Blandford, Massachusetts. 
He later went to Partridge Island, Delaware 
County, N. '\'., being accompanied by his 
brothers, and took up lumbering. He suIj- 
sequently returned to lUandford. Mass., where 
he was married in 1804. With his three broth- 
ers, having but limited ca])ital, he purchased 
a tract of pine timber in Delaware County, 
N. Y., and built a log cabin on the banks of 
the Delaware River. They cut the timber and 
hauled it to the ri\er, and then lltiatcd it down 
to the Philadelphia markets, where it was sold. 
Their first raft was sto\e, and was a complete 
loss, but they were not discouraged. They 
were without money, but their credit was 
good, and they were thus enableil to make 
another attempt. \\'illiam Wheeler piloted 
the next raft down the river himself, and was 
successful. He continued thus for some ten 
years and then built a mill and manufactured 
lumber, which he sold in the Philadelphia mar- 
kets. In TS13 he mo\ed his family to Cook 
House, n(jw Dejjosit, N. Y., where he pur- 
chased more timber and built mills. He fol- 
lowed that business the remain<ler of his life. 



and became a man of means and inlluence. 
Lie married hdeanor Knox, daughter of Cai>- 
tain W illiam Knox, who was a direct descend 
ant of a brother of John Knox, the celebrated 
Scottish reformer. The}- rearetl seven chil- 
dren, as follows: I\lalina; Betsy; William P.; 
Tnnnan IL; .\ddison J., and George D. 

William P. Wheeler, the father of Nelson 
P., was one of the most extensi\ e lumbermen 
on the .\llegheny River. He was born at 
Hancock. Delaware County, N. Y., June 13, 
1811, and was two years of age when he ac- 
companied his parents to Deposit, where he 
received a limited education. It was intended 
that he should pursue the calling of a farmer, 
but the lumbering business appealed to him 
more strongly, and we find him assisting his 
father until he reached the age of twenty-one 
years. The firm of which the subject of this 
sketch is now the managing partner was 
formed by Mr. Wheeler and Henry Dusen- 
bury, and their first operations were in New 
York State, where they had a mill with a ca- 
pacity of 200.000 feet per year. The\' later 
!K)Ught land and erected a mill in what is now 
Forest County. Pa. The times were exceed- 
ingly rough and intemperance was prevalent, 
and this Mr. Wheeler was very active in his 
efforts to suppress. From the very first he 
succeeded in winning the respect of everybody 
by his sincerity and earnestness in elevating 
the moral standard of the community. The first 
raft which the firm lloated down the river was 
sold in Pittsburg markets at $4.75 per thous- 
and. As it was the \ery best of pine, it was 
.sold at a dollar ]ier thousand less than the cost 
of manufacturing. There was indeed a very 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



539 



bad outlook for their success; money was 
scarce, they were in debt, and they needed 
more land. They finally succeeded in placing 
tlicir Inisiness on a hrm fniancial basis, and 
shipped their product to Pittsl)urg and other 
I)orts. via the Allegheny and Ohio rivers. In 
1S37 the firm started a lumber yard at Cincin- 
nati, O., in charge of Gregory & Van Bergen. 
Mr. Van Bergen wrote that there was a good 
opportunity to buy timber on Tionesta Creek. 
Mr. Wheeler set out on horseback, riding the 
last eight miles in Tionesta Creek, and after a 
hard journey inspected the property to be 
bought, which consisted of 4000 acres of land, 
a fairly good mill and log cabins. This he 
purchased, promising to make a cash pay- 
ment of $8,000 in thirty days. All was not 
plain sailing for them, and they operated for 
a while without profit. Mr. Siverly was a part- 
ner at this time, Init shortly afterwards his as- 
sociates bought him out and sold a one-half 
interest to Hamilton Stow of Olean, who man- 
aged the business for many years very suc- 
cessfully. In 1850 they began the purchase 
of the land known as the Hickory property. 
On one occasion, stopping the rafts at Tion- 
esta so as not to break the Sabbath, a note 
was handed to Mr. Wheeler from an attorney 
in Franklin, stating that unless bonds were 
immediately furnished in the sum of $10,000 
a contract for 5,000 acres of very valuable 
pine land would be forfeited. This was an in- 
stance of sharp practice on the part of the per- 
son from whom the land was purchased, as he 
selected a time when he thought the firm 
could not be reached. Fortunately, as a re- 
sult of Mr. Wheeler's strict observance of the 



Sabbath day, his plans were frustrated. It 
was very difficult at that time to get provisions 
to the men working in the woods, as they had 
to l;c brought from Pittsburg by canoe, a dis- 
tance of one hundred and sixty miles. Mr. 
Stow continued as manager of the business 
affairs of the firm until 1865, when he moved 
to Cincinnati, and in 1867 sold his interests on 
the Tionesta. He was succeeded by our sub- 
ject as manager. Mr. W. F. Wheeler and Mr. 
Dusenbury were both men of influence in the 
community, and that this influence was ex- 
erted in behalf of their fellow-men is shown 
by an extract taken from the autobiography 
written by the former: "Our firm when or- 
ganized had the avowed intention of conduct- 
ing the business in such a manner as to exert 
a Christian and moral influence. I have lived 
to see a complete change in the standard of life 
in our community. Evil influences have been 
cut away that previously existed. Mr. Dusen- 
bury and I both united with the Presbyterian 
Church, he at the age of thirty and I when 
twenty years old." 

As there was no Presbyterian Church in the 
county, Mr. Dusenbury and Mr. Wheeler were 
active in founding one, the first services being 
held in a wagon house at Olean. The latter 
was superintendent of Sunday School for sev- 
eral years, and was also sole trustee of the day 
school. These, with several township offices, 
were the only local positions he held, but in 
1879 he was elected to the state legislature. 
Having completed one term he was urged to 
accept the nomination for another, but he ab- 
solutely refused. He was an organizer of the 
First National Bank of Olean, and continued 



540 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



to serve as president of that institution until 
his death. In 1839 he was united in marriage 
with Flora Atkins, a daughter of Judge Ouin- 
tns Flaminius Atkins of Cleveland, a hero of 
the War of 181J. who was called out at De- 
troit before Hull surrendered. Mrs. Wheeler 
died in 1850. having given birth to five chil- 
dren. The father of Nelson P. formed a sec- 
ond matrimonial alliance, with Marilla Clark 
of Peacham, Vt., and they had one daughter, 
Lilla. 

Nelson P. \\'hccler pursued his primary 
studies in the public schools at Portxille, and 
completed his education in Olean Academy. 
He then took up the profession of surveying 
and engineering, and engaged in that busi- 
ness to a considerable extent while in Port- 
ville. Although his present business lies in a 
different direction, he frc(]uently finds an op- 
])ortunity to apply his knowledge of that pro- 
fession, having laid out the plans of the rail- 
road system connected with his ])lant. He 
gave up his profession in 1865, and assumed 
charge of the plant of the firm of Wheeler & 
Dusenbury, located at Newtown Mills. He 
v.as quite successful there, so much so in fact, 
that six years later he was placed in charge 
of the plant at Hickory, upon the retirement 
of Mr. Stow to Cincinnati. That he is emi- 
nently qualified for the great responsil)ilities 
of that position, is amply demonstrated bv the 
fact that the mill is one of the finest in the 
country. It was formerly a water-power, now 
it is modernized, and is as complete as money, 
enterprise, and ingenuity can make it. He 
conducted it as a water mill for many years, 
and then it was changed to a steam, circular 



mill. He later began experimenting with a 
band saw and was the first man to successfully 
use one in the northwestern part of the state. 
At that time the firm owned some six thous- 
and acres of land, i)ut ihc}- added from time to 
time until they now have thirty thousand acres 
of timber land as fine as there is to Ije found 
in the state of Pennsylvania. Besides the 
plant at Endeavor, Pa., they own a circular 
mill on Hickory Creek, and a gang mill on 
Tionesta Creek. 

A person visiting Endeavor for the first time 
would be sure to notice the appearance of 
prosperity which ])revails. No decay is vis- 
ible, none of the neglect or stagnation which 
characterizes so many country villages, l)Ut 
nicely constructed houses greet the eye (all 
painted white), as well as good walks and 
everything indicating peace and plenty. This 
entire village is the property of Wheeler & 
Dusenbury, and it speaks volumes for the 
n:anner in which the firm cares for its em- 
ployees. A store is also kept for the accom- 
modation of the help and a large stock is car- 
ried, which they retail to the men at moderate 
prices. On the secontl floor of the store 
building are the oftices of the firm, and north 
of this building the mill proper is located. The 
yards are immense in size, and they have con- 
stantly in stock 10,000,000 feet of lumber of 
all kinds and varieties. In the mill one Is 
struck by the speed and apparent lack of effort 
with which all tlie work is done: innnense logs 
are handled automatically as though mere 
sticks. On the bantl saw they manufacture 
all sizes of lumber and timber up to seventy- 
five feet in length; the boards are then 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



dropped off and carried by live rollers to the 
cd.^iii.t;' niachiiK': llic waste is dn)i)pe(l into a 
grinder, a part of it being taken to the boiler- 
room and the rest carried to an island in the 
middle of log-pond to be destroyed. ;\bove 
is the saw and hie room, where the repair- 
ing and conditioning of the saws is done. The 
boiler-house and engine-room are separate, 
and they also have two engines, one to run 
the saw and the other the rest of the^machin- 
ery. They also have two repair shops. On 
the toj) of the mountain they have a reservon- 
that furnishes the town with water, and there 
is a sufficient pressure to furnish the private 
fire department. There are numerous fire 
plugs and hose carts, and all necessary pre- 
cautions are taken against the possibility of 
fire. They ha\'e thirteen miles of standard 
gauge railroad and seven miles of narrow 
gauge, three locomotives, and their own cars. 
The entire jilant, including the shingle and 
lath mills, is running day and night, and 200 
men are employed running single turn. Mr. 
Wheeler is very popular with his employees, 
always looking to their interests, and having a 
kindly word for each of them. 

In addition to his lumber interests, Mr. 
Wheeler is associated with B. F. Thompson & 
Company, in the Hickory Tanning Company, 
manufacturers of up])er leather, having a ca- 
])acity of 40.000 hides per _\'ear. This estab- 
lishment is located at West Hickory. He was 
an organizer, and is a director and stockhold- 
er, oi the Forest County National Bank of 
Tionesta. He was an organizer, and is a di- 
rector and stockholder, of the Warren Na- 
tional Bank; he is also a stockholder in the 



First National Bank of Olean. He is the own- 
er of large lumber interests in the North 
Peninsula. Michigan, and 70,000,000 feet of 
lumber were cut from one of their tracts there 
during the past year. One of their mills in 
Michigan has forty miles of railroad, and they 
carry passengers and freight, operating as the 
Manistique & N. W. R. R. He also has tim- 
ber interests in Oregon. 

Mr. \\'heeler was united in marriage with 
Rachel A. Smith, a daughter of Capt. Alex- 
ander and Rachel (McClain) Smith. Captain 
Alexander Smith was born in Perthshire, 
Scotland, in 181 1. and at the age of seven 
years he came to America with his father, set- 
tling in Belmont County, Ohio. In Wheel- 
ing, W. Va., at the age of nineteen years, he 
learned the trade of a chair and ornament 
painter. He kept a paint store in that city, 
and subsequently became a steamboatman, as- 
sisting his brother. Captain Joseph Smith, to 
built boats at Pittsburg, to run between Pitts- 
burg, Louisville and New Orleans. He then 
became superintendent of the Big Sandy 
Packet Company. He purchased a farm on 
the Ohio River and established a post office 
at Smith's Landing, which was named in his 
honor. He took up the mercantile business at 
that ]ioint. in which he met with success, and 
then imdertook grape culture. ha\ing a vine- 
vard of thirty acres. He also speculated in 
western land, and traded in leaf tobacco. He 
was especially fond of travel, and visited many 
points of interest in this country. In 1874 he 
went to Florida and purchased an orange 
grove at the mouth of the St. Johns River. In 
1876 he moved to Walnut Hills, and two years 



542 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



later was taken ill. In iSji) he spent the win- 
ter in Florida, where he died on Decemher 9 
of that year; his remains were hrought north 
for hurial. In politics lie was an active Re- 
publican and was freiiuently importuned to 
accept office, beins;' tendered a ])lace under 
Lincoln's administration, but all he refused 
Mrs. Smith, a woman of most estimable quali- 
ties, sur\-i\ed her husband fourteen years, 
spending her summer months at Chautauqua 
Lake and her winters in Florida. She led an 
cxem])lary life, was a de\'oted wife and a lov- 
ing mother, and reared her children under re- 
ligious influences. She was a true Christian, 
of a charitable and s\mpathetic disposition, 
and her memory is revered by all whose lives 
were brought in touch with hers. In 1890, 
while visiting her daughter, she was stricken 
with paralysis, from which she but partially 
lecovered, and in 1893 she developed symp- 
toms of heart disease. Expressing a wish for 
her old homestead, she was taken back to 
Ohio, where she died fifteen days later, on Oc- 
tober 5, 1893. Captain and Mrs. Smith reared 
five children, as follows: Jolm, deceased; Will- 
iam, who died at an early age; Alexander. Jr., 
who died in December, 1890; Isabel, who has 
a national reputation as one of the best min- 
iature artists in America, has twice exhibited" 
in the Salon, Paris; and Rachel A., the wife of 
our subject. 

Mrs. Wheeler was born at Smith's Landing, 
Ohio, and was educated at the Ohio Female 
College, Cincinnati, ()., from wbicli she grad- 
uated with first honors and (leli\'ercd the vale- 
dictory address upon her gr;idu;ition. .\fter 
lea\'ing college she attained tlistinction in the 



lield of literature, and contributed jjoems, 
articles of travel and fiction to various maga- 
zines and daily and weekly papers; she was 
also a correspondent on the Cincinnati Times. 
Her works |)ossess literary merit, and she has 
receised nuicli praise for her eftorts in that 
direction. She is a charitable woman and in 
memory of her deceased daughter, Mary At- 
kins, who was called fnmi this world at an 
early age, she has founded and supports a 
kindergarten school for tlie children of the 
employees of the jilant controlled by her hus- 
l)and. Our subject and his wife have also 
erected a handsome chapel in memory of their 
two deceased children, Mary Atkins and Isa- 
bel Smith, and in the Sabbath School room are 
two memorial windows. The church, sur- 
rounded by a nicely graded lawn, is of a strik- 
ing design and is composed of a chapel, a Sun- 
day School room and an infant class-room, 1k'- 
ing finished throughout in natural wood. 
They are both members of the Presbyterian 
Church. The following children were born 
to bless their union: Rachel Flora; Isabel 
Smith, deceased; Mary Atkins, deceased; Nel- 
son P., Jr., and William Reginald and Alex- 
ander Royal, twins. 

In politics, Mr. Wheeler is a Republican, 
and has served in the state legislature, but re- 
fused a second nomination to that office. He 
was county conunissioner one term, and has 
held various township offices. Ouite recently 
he erected a beautiful home at Endeavor, a 
large house of modified, colonial style of archi- 
tecture, tastefully arranged after the ideas of 
Mrs. Wheeler. The grounds surrounding the 
house, with their fine lawn and trees, also pres- 
ent a very attractixe appearance. 




EDWARD L. MORRIS. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



545 




DWARD L. MORRIS, the, popular 
and efficient ji'.stice of tlie peace of the 
Ijcrough of Youngsville, whose por- 
trait appears on the preceding page, is also 
extensively engaged in the insurance busi- 
ness. He is a gentleman of true worth, hav- 
ing worked in various lines of business, and 
possesses a most remarkable war record. Mr. 
Morris is a descendant of Thomas Morris, 
who was born in England, whence he emi- 
grated to America in 1637, locating in Bos- 
ton, Mass. In 1671 he removed to the pres- 
ent location of New Haven, Conn., where he 
purchased a tract of land of the New Haven 
Colony, and erected a large and handsome 
stone residence, which is still standing, and is 
known as the "Morris Homestead." During 
the Revolutionary \\'ar a portion of the build- 
ing was burned, but was afterwards rebuilt in 
harmony with tlie original plan. 

Amos ^lorris, a son of Thomas Morris, was 
a soldier in the war for American independ- 
ence. He held a captain's commission, hav- 
ing the seal of the New Haven Colony and 
signed by Gov. Thomas Fitch. The commis- 
sion is a well preserved document, and is still 
kejJt by the family. Amos proved to be a 
most valiant soldier, and served his country 
well. A mossy stone marks the place of his 
l>urial in the old liurying ground, where he is 
waiting "till the day breaks and the shadows 
flee away." His son, Stephen Morris, was 
the grandfather of our subject. When an old 
man, Stephen Morris delighted to recall to 
his mind the days of warfare between the 
American patriots and the Britisli. He dis- 



tinctly remembered seeing many soldiers of 

both armies. 

Edward L. ^tlorris was born in Allegany, 
County, N. Y., September 6, 1839. He is a 
son of Josiah Stoughton and Mahala (Seely) 
Morris. Josiah S. Morris was born in Cat- 
skill, N. Y., January S, iSoS, and followed the 
double occupation of farmer and school 
teacher. His death occurred in 1893. Our 
subject's mother was born in the year 1800 in 
Southport, Chemung County, New York. 
She descended from the well-known Seely 
familv, who came from Jersey City to Che- 
mung County, in 1790, settling on the large 
tract of land where the town of Southport, 
and the city of Elmira now' stand. Some of 
the descendants are yet living on the ancestral 
acres. Mrs. Morris died in 1875. She bore her 
husband six children, of whom the two eld- 
est sons died in infancy; those wdio grew to 
adult age were: Henry; Josiah, a prosperous 
farmer of Crawford County, Pa.; Edward L., 
subject of these lines; Harriet Louisa, who 
became the wife of Albert Houghton of Nun- 
da, N. Y., and she died in 1876; Clinton S., 
one of the most prosperous and successful 
business men of Warren County, located at 
Garland, Pa., whose life-history may be 
viewed elsewhere in this book. All three sons 
of Josiah S. Morris saw scrxice in the war of 
th.e Rebellion. 

Edward L. Morris received his scholastic 
training in the schools of Friendship, N. Y., 
and while attending a select school in that 
town, in 1861, enlisted as a soldier in Com- 
pany E, 5th Reg., N. Y. Vol. Cav. He was 
attached to the famous .\.rm\- of the Potomac, 



546 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



and his services extended to the close of the 
war. His reijiment was lirigaded witli tlie ist 
\'ermont and ist Michigan Cavalry, and was 
assigned to duty under General John P. 
Hatch. Our suhjcct also served in the Valley 
of the Shenandoah, under (ienerals Kiljjat- 
rick and Sheridan. In 1862, in the engage- 
ment at Culpepper Court House, Va., he was 
taken prisoner, and iov six weeks was con- 
fined in Lihhy Prison and at P)elle Isle, then 
being exchanged and rejoining his regiment 
near .Alexandria, \'a. Mr. Morris took active 
part in sixt}-fonr engag;ements, and two 
liorses were shot from under him, I)ut he 
never received any personal injury. During 
his entire term of service he never asked to 
be excused from duty on account of disa- 
bility. 

During the last eighteen months he acted 
as forage master for his division. At the 
time of General Wright's defeat in the Shen- 
andoah \^alle}-, Mr. Alorris notified General 
Sheridan, who was at Winchester, Va., of the 
condition of things at the front, and accom- 
jianied that general in his famous ride up the 
valley, and saw inglorious defeat turned into 
splendid victory. In that engagement the 5th 
N. Y. and ist Vermont regiments, the former 
Mr. Morris' regiment, received credit for cap- 
turing 45 guns and a large number of pris- 
oners. .\t the close of the war our subject 
was retained for one year as a clerk in the 
War Department at \\'asliington, in the divi- 
sion of clothing and camp and garrison equip- 
age. He then engaged in other lines of busi- 
ness in W'ashington, remaining there until 
1870, when he went to Kansas, remaining 



there for a period of four years, buying and 
shii)ping wheat to the East. In 1874, how- 
ever, he was driven out of that Inisiness by 
the grasshoppers, and returned east. In the 
same year, 1874, he went to Garland, Pa., ami 
entered into busines with his Ijrother. In 1891 
he became superintendent of the Rouse es- 
tate, holding that position for three years, 
and realizing therefrom a handsome salary. 
•Since then he has been interested in \'arious 
lines of business in Youngsville. In October, 
1898, Governor D. PI. Hastings appointed 
and commissioned him a justice of the peace 
for Youngs\ille Ijorough, to fill a vacancy, 
and si.x months later he was elected by the 
people of Youngsville borough without a dis- 
senting vote. Air. Alorris is also conducting 
a general life and fire insurance business, en- 
joying a very fair patronage. In politics he 
is a Republican. 

On the 4th of Novemlier, 1866, our subject 
was united in marriage with Emily Raymond 
of W^ashington. D. C, that ceremony being 
duly celebrated in a most impressive manner, 
by Rev. E. H. Gray, chaplain of the U. S. 
Senate. Two children blessed tlieir union: 
Eveline, born .August 24, 1868, who became 
the wife of Charles E. Eckels and resides at 
Cambridge Springs, Crawford County, Pa.; 
and Charles E., born August 24, 1870. who is 
]M"ominently engaged in hnnbering in Forest 
Comity, Pa. 

Socially, our sul)ject is a \'a]ued member of 
the A'oungsville Lodge, No. 500, I. O. O. F., 
and of the R. A. Kinnear Post, No. C>t,2. G. 
A. R. The famil}- are active members of the 
M. E. Church. 




EUGENE H. MORRISON. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



540 



CUGENE H. MORRISON is one of 
the l)cst known lnnil)ernien of Warren 
Connly, I 'a,, liaving followed luniber- 
mg since his early manhood, and his success 
may be attributed to Iiis wonderful energy. 
He pushes vigorously to completion every 
enterprise in which he engages. Obstacles 
that would impede and appall most men only 
add determination to his energy. Our subject 
was Ijorn at Onoville. N. Y.. in 1847, and he is 
a son of Hiram Morrison. 

Our subject's grandfather was one of the 
pioneer settlers of Onoville, X. V., and, when 
he located there, there were no roads and his 
neighbors were very scattered. He took up 
a tract of 156 acres of timber land, of which 
he cleared 26 acres and engaged in farming. 
His house was built of planks and logs, as was 
also his barn. His wife was Phoebe Owens, 
and they reared a family of sixteen children. 

Hiram Morrison was born in 18 15 at Kin- 
zua. Pa., at the old Morrison mills, and there 
also received his early schooling. He began 
life for himself as a lumberman and jobber, 
but later became a jiilot on the Allegheny 
River, and often made trips as far as Memphis, 
Tenn.; he located permanently in W^arren 
County in 1864, and spent the remainder of his 
life rafting and lumbering. 

Eugene H. Morrison's primary education 
was obtained in the public schools of his native 
town. In 1864 the family moved to Warren 
County and our subject began jobbing and 
lumbering; he bought 200 acres of timber 
land, and later purchased another tract of 
1,400 acres; during his business career in this 
district he has cleared about 3,000 acres of 



timber. Mr. Morrison owns timber on both 
sides of the river — the one side consisting 
mostly (,f i)inc and hemlock, while the other 
side al>t)unds in red and white oak; the red 
oak IS sold to veneer works, while the smaller 
wood is made into railroad ties. He does a 
large business in making ties, manufacturing 
about 50,000 per year, and supi)lies the ]. & C. 
L. Railroad with all it uses. Our subject in 
his early days carried on teaming during the 
oil e.xcitement; when he first came to his pres- 
ent location there were Tnit few dwellings in 
the neighborhood; he bought an old board 
house in which he continued to reside for 
many years. In 1895 'le purchased a tract of 
25 acres, and upon this property he erected 
the handsomest house and barn in Deertield 
township; during 1877 our subject worked in 
Potter County and still owns oil interests in 
that county. 

Mr. Morrison and Louisa Sillaway, a native 
of Erie County, x\. Y., were happily united in 
marriage, and they are the proud parents of a 
family of thirteen children, iianieh-; Eunice; 
Lcroy, who took a course in Smith's Business 
College, and is now an operator; Florence 
has taught school the past seven years; Er- 
nest; Mabel; George; Ira; Earl; Pearl; .\rthur; 
Ray; Herbert; and Mildred. Politicallv, he is 
a Democrat and only accepts office when he 
thinks he can benefit the communitv by so 
doing; a few years ago the roads in his neigh- 
borhood were in such a bad condition that 
our subject compelled the officials to imi^rove 
them, and for his good work he was accord- 
ingly made road commissioner in the next 
election. It was the same with the schools. 



550 



BOOK OK lilOGKAl'HlES 



Realizing that there was vast room for im- 
])i"ovcineiit he at once gave the sul)ject his at- 
tention and the result was \cr\- gratifying, — 
as in the ftjrmer case, his fellow citizens saw it 
would he to the atlvantage of the district to 
have his services on the school board and he 
was conse(]uenlly elected. Mr. Morrison is a 
well-read, intelligent and loyal citizen, as well 
as a good neighbor and friend, and his influ- 
ence is alwavs lent in suj)port of those meas- 
ures that tend to enhance the welfare of the 
community. He is genial and affable in social 
life, upright and houdrable in his dealings, 
stern and uncoin])romising in his ])rinciples, 
and tenacious in his friendships. Religiously, 
he is a member of the Methodist Church; so- 
cially, he is a memlier of the K. O. T. M., and 
connnander of the rarthenia I'raternity, Xo. 
284. His portrait ap])ears on another ])age of 
this Book of Biographies. 




ILLIAM O'NEH., a highly rcspcct- 
/^V ed citizen of Warren. I'a., and one 
of the most inlluential and acti\'e 
men in the town, is a descendant of one of 
the oldest and most highly esteemed families 
in the connnnnitw He was born January 3, 
183J, in lJ\erpool township, Perrv t'onntw 
T^a., and is a son of Samuel and Isabella (I^ind^ 
say) O'Neil, and grandson of John O'Xeil. 

John O'Neil, father of Samuel O'Xeil, and 
grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was 
born in the north of Ireland, and came to this 
country about 1790. He was naturalized in 
Cumberland County in 1802, ami served in 



the War of 18 12. He owned a large farm in 
I'fout's \'alley. Perry Comity, and afterwards 
located on this farm, where William and liis 
father were born. 

His maternal grandfather, John Lindsay, 
was born in Ireland about 1740. He died 
about 1833, in Chester County, Pa., where 
he located on his arrival in America. His 
wife came to America seven years after his 
arrival here. 

Samuel (3' Neil was a farmer and greatly 
loved by all. He was born in 1806, in Liver- 
]iool township. Perry County, Pa., and de- 
liarted this life in 1865. He married Isabella 
Lindsay of West Chester, Pa., and they were 
blessed with the following children: Sarah, 
deceased ; John ; Louisa ; William ; and Almira. 
By his first wife he had the following children: 
Catherine, deceased; Jeremiah; Margaret, 
deceased; Theodora, deceased; Hiram, de- 
ceased; and Matilda, deceased. Hiram 
O'Neil was an associate judge of Snyder 
County. Pa., for five years, and w^as greatly 
honored and respected. Mrs. O'X^eil, Wil- 
liam's mother, died in 1883. 

William O'X'eil, the subject of this biog- 
raphy, obtaitied his early mental training in 
the public schools in his native township, and 
attended the Xormal School at Millerstown, 
I'a.. for a period of two years. He learned 
the carjjenter's trade, and worked at it in 
the sunnner. teaching school during the win- 
ter months, for li\e years. December 23, 1875, 
Mr. O'Xeil married Florence Ettinger, a 
daughter of John A. and Sarah Ettinger, of 
Xew Berlin, Union Comity, Pennsylvania. 
She was born in Xew Berlin March 20, 1852. 




ARTHIR R. BRICGS. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



553 



Mrs. O' Neil's maternal grandfather was 
James Harrison, a native of York, England, 
who came to America when a very )oung 
man. For five years he was an associate 
judge of Union County, Pennsylvania. The 
]>aternal grandfather, Adam Ettinger, was 
I>orn in Germany in 1782, and came to .\mer- 
ica in early life. He was a minister of the 
Ex-angelical Association for sixty },'ears, and 
died at the advanced age of ninety-tive years, 
in 1877. He was buried at '^'ork, Pennsyl- 
vania. 

Mr. O'Neil, the subject of this Itiography, 
left Perry County in 1868, and located at 
Lykens, Dauphin County, Pa., where he re- 
mained until the s])ring of 1877. He then 
moved to Warren County, his ])resent loca- 
tion, where he worked at carpentering for a 
number of years, and later at tank-gauging. 
Mr. O'Neil is now engaged in oil producing, 
jjeing interested in several oil leases and wells, 
which are in operation. He is a stock- 
holder in the Cornplanter Refining Co., and 
served for many years as a member of its 
board of directors. He was also a stock- 
iioldcr in the Pickett Table Works of War- 
ren, Pa., until the plant was destroyed by fire 
in i8g6. Mr. O'Neil has been very promi- 
nent in school affairs, for six vears serving as 
school director in North Clarendon borough, 
and for nine years as school director in Glade 
townsiiip, and fi)r a period, in Warren bor- 
ough. He is now a member of the \\'arren 
borough council. Politically he is an un- 
swerving Democrat, and takes an active inter- 
est in politics. The family are members of the 
First M. E. Church. Mr. O'Neil is a thnrou"ii 



business man, and is always looking out for 
the interests of his fellow-townsmen. He is 
spoken of everywhere in the higliest terms. 
His children are as follows: Arthur S., bom 
March 23, 1879; and Ralph K.. born October 
10, 1880. 



(gTr- UrilUR R. BRIGGS, an inlluentiai 
A-|4 member of the firm of McDowell iS: 
■^ V_^Briggs, wholesale lumber dealers of 
Voungsville, Peimsylvania, whose portrait is 
jiresented on the ])receding page, is a gentle- 
man of recognized a])ility, and, although born 
and reared under unfavorable circumstances, 
has won success l)y his own efforts. I\Ir. 
Briggs is well-l)orn. descentling from a noble 
ancestry. The first member of the Briggs 
family took passage to America on board the 
Mayflower, and his descendants are now scat- 
tered o\er the entire United States. One 
branch of the family settled in Perry County, 
New York. The Briggs family is particularlj' 
noted for the longevity and splendid I)usiness 
qualifications of its members. 

Arthur R. Briggs was Ijorn in Titusville. 
Crawford County, Pennsylvania, January 23. 
1870, is a son of George and Lucy (Buckley) 
Briggs, and the eldest of a family of three chil- 
dren, namely: .\rthur R.; Edith, and Mabel. 
.Arthur R. was menially traineil in the ])ul)lic 
schools of Crawford CouiUy, and at a ver\- 
early age proN'cd himself to 1)C a true Hriggs 
by manifesting a taste for a business career. 
He availed himself of every chance to better 
his condition, enlarge his sphere, or bring 
him to a higher plane of usefulness, regard- 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



ing labor in any capacity as a stepping stone 

to advancement, lie learned lele^ra])liy, and 
afterward entered the employ of lUndun & 
Conch, of Cleveland, Ohio. With them he 
remained tln-ee years, when the firm failed in 
hnsincss, and he was left withont a position. 
He had, ho\\e\er, been ])rudent ;ind economi- 
cal to a marked degree, and saved every cent 
possible from his earnings, and was now en- 
abled to embark in hnsincss for himself. He 
accordingly formed a iiartnership with Lafay- 
ette McDowell of \'onngsvillc, and opened 
a wholesale Inniber bnsiness. nnder the lirni 
name of McDowell i'<: Rriggs. The firm 
makes a specialty of hardwood linnber in car- 
load lots, being very successfnl in this branch 
of bnsiness; the high grade of their Inmber 
and their very low prices attract the attention 
of bnyers in the different sections of \\'arren 
Conntv. Both members of the firm are re- 
garded as snccessfnl business men, and look 
forward to greater pros])erity. Through their 
judicious management, their business has in- 
crea.sed muil it now nets them a comfortable 
income. 

On June 26, 1895, ""'" subject was united in 
marriage with Miss S. bjnma White, an amia- 
ble daughter of L. M. White, of Garland, 
Pennsylvania. Mrs. llriggs was born June 
27. 1878. This ha|i])v union was blessed by 
the presence of two little ones, lilanche, born 
May 7, i89r), and .\ubrey, born October 4, 
1897. In his ])olilical views. ?vlr. ISriggs is a 
strong Republican, acting in concert with the 
principles embodied in the platform of that 
l)arty. Roth he and his charming wife are 
members of the Methodist F.piscopal Church. 



Our subject is a hard worker in the interests 
of Youngsville, and always is ready to give 
substantial aid to any worthy enterprise that 
has in \iew the jirogress and pros])crity of the 
borough. He is responsive to charitable ap- 
peals, occupies an important position in his 
connnunity. and is regarded as a man of high 
standing. He has led an industrious, useful, 
and eminently successful life, unsullied by 
deeds of betrayal of confidence reposed in him 
bv trusting friends. He is still a young man 
and a brilliant future is predicted for him. 



VROX J. JACKSON is recognized as 
one of the ])rosperous and solid men of 
Warren County, Pa. In business 
circles he is considered a sound financier and 
a man of extremely good judgment. His 
happv, genial nature wins friends in every 
circle which he chooses to enter. In most of 
his business ventures he has been successfnl, 
and his home in Youngsville, Pa., bears evi- 
dence of comfort in all its surroundings. In 
i860, at the early age of twenty-two, Mr. 
Jackson was appointed agent at Youngsville, 
Pa., for the Philadelphia & Erie R. R. Co., 
taking charge of the passenger, freight and 
express business. In 1864 he was transferred 
to Ridgwaw Pa., becoming the first agent at 
that ])oint. where he remained two years; he 
was afterwards express agent at Irvineton for 
one vear, and then returned to his former po- 
sition at \'oungs\ille, where he has remained 
ever since. Mr. Jackson's term of service is 
longer than that of any other agent in the 
employ of the P. & E. R. R. Co., and reaches 



THIRTY-SKVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



555 



over a period of thirty-seven years, during 

all of which time he has lost hut one month, 
occasioned hy a visit to friends in the far 
West. 

Step by step he has learned the many in- 
tricate details of the office, becoming per- 
fectly familiar with the railway business, until 
to-day he is trusted implicitly by the company 
whom he represents. To the general pubHc, 
who transact business with the road, he is 
courteous, oljliging and ready to accommo- 
date to the greatest extent in his power. 

The subject of this biography was born in 
Warren County, Pa., December 8, 1838, and 
is a son of Thomas and Emeline A. (Iving) 
Jackson, both of whom are deceased. He was 
taught in the pul)lic schools of his native 
count}-, and, being naturally studious, he ac- 
quired a great taste for literature and read 
e\'ery thing that came within his reacii. Man_\- 
years ago he became interested in the hard- 
ware business, associating himself with W. J. 
Mead, under the firm name of ^Mead & Jack- 
son. The business of the firm is a large and 
profitable one, as 1)Oth gentlemen are well and 
fa\-orabl_\- known. At the time of the oil ex- 
citement in Warren County, Air. Jackson, in 
common with man}' others, in\ested large 
sums of money in the oil business and was 
one of the victims of what is remembered in 
oil circles as "Black Friday." Although lie 
has lost considerable money in oil specula- 
tions he is at last the owner of some good pay- 
ing wells. 

Mr. Jackson owns a half interest in the large 
ilouring mills at Youngs\ille, Pa. From 
these mills are shipped large (juantities of 



high-grade flour to Ohio and the eastern 

states. These mills also have an enviable 
reputation for putting upon the market a spe- 
cial brand of buckwheat flour, which is 
ship])ed to all parts of the country. Septem- 
ber 8, 1864, our subject was united in the holy 
bonds of matrimony with Anna A. Mead, an 
afTable and agreeable young lady, ami a 
daughter of Philip Mead, one of the influen- 
tial citizens of Youngsville. Mrs. Jackson was 
born in the year 1848, and bore her husband 
one child. Gibson L. 

Gibson L. Jackson was born March 2. 187-I, 
and received his primary instruction in the 
pujjlic schools of his native town, Youngs- 
ville, after which he took a collegiate course at 
De Veaux College, at Niagara Falls, a city in 
Niagara County, N. Y., situated about twen- 
ty miles from BufYalo, containing many ob- 
jects of historic and scenic interest. On 
Christmas Day, 1894, Gibson L. Jackson 
took unto himself a w-ife, Lettie A. Knapp, 
wdio was born July 22. 1874, and is a young 
lady possessed of many excellent qualities. 

Our subject is a Republican in politics and 
has served as treasurer of the Ijorongh, mem- 
ber of the council, and as school director. He 
also takes a deep interest in educational mat- 
ters. Mr. Jackson is one of the executors of 
the estate of the late John A. Jackson, of 
Youngsville, Pa., and is a member of ihe 
M. E. Church, working willingly in behalf of 
it, and ever giving liberally of his means for 
its maintenance and sujiport. \\'ith a view to 
the protection of his loved ones in the event 
of his Ijcing taken from them, he invested in 
a bcneficiarv certificate in that descr\in"' and 



556 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



most excellent order, A. (). I". \\'., 
which oi\qanizatioii to-da}' is hclpins;' so nian\ 
widows and orphans of its (teceasod nienihers. 
])ro\-i(Hnt;^ a fund of sup])ort for the former, 
and furnishing means to clothe and educate 
the latter. ( )ur suhject has sided always with 
that class of citizens who desire to see the laws 
enforced in all ]iarticulars — in fact, he is of 
that stamp of mankind who leaves the imiirc-s 
of a henelicent personalit_\- on e\erythini4- with 
which he is l)rouq;ht into contact. 




MXjA.MlX f). MOWRIS. a promi- 
nent fanner and lumberman residing 
upon the old family property in Wat- 
son township, Warren County. Pa., accom- 
panied his parents to that district when there 
were no schools, and consequently started on 
his career with a very limited education. In 
youth, just as soon as he was strong- enough. 
he assisted his father in lumbering and farm- 
ing, continuing thus until 1873. At tliat time, 
in partnership with his brother John, thev 
pmxhased the property of their father, and 
have since conducted it. John Ii\es on the 
homestead farm, and the subject hereof built 
a home which fronts on the Warren and Tidi- 
oute turnpike. Here the two brothers have 
continued to li\-e. farnn'ng in sunnner and 
lumbering in winter. They formerly shipped 
rough logs to Pittsburg markets, down the Al- 
legheny River; but of late years the ship])ing 
has been done by railroad to all parts of the 
country. Some time ago the brotliers sold 
220 acres of tlie original property, and now- 
own 1,200 acres of partially improved land. 



Mv. Mowris was I)orn in L^lstcr County, X. 
v., in the year 1830, and is a .son of Peter and 
Margery (Davis) Mowris, and grandson of 
.\braham Mow-ris. 

Abraham Mowris w-as a native of Ulster 
County, N. Y., and was a prt)minent figure in 
his community, being in active service all 
through the Revolutionary War. His cart- 
ridge box was loaned to the county conmiittec 
and was exhibited during the Centennial V.x- 
liosition at Philadelphia in 1876, while an o\<\ 
army musket formerly used by him is still in 
the possession of the subject of this sketch. 
Besides being a prosperous agriculturist of 
Ulster County, he possessed considerable lit- 
erary talent and gave each of his four children 
a good education. 

Peter Mowris. the father of our subject, 
was born on the old iiomestead in Ulster 
County, in 1806. and the education given him 
by his father stood him in good stead. After 
teaching school for some time, he learned the 
carpenter trade and becanie a master work- 
man. He subsequently left New York and 
settled in Wales, Erie County, Pa., about 
1838. He removed, in 1842, to Warren Coun- 
ty. Pa., and locating in what is now W^atson 
township, then a part of Limestone township. 
There he purchased 250 acres of timber land, 
of w-hich he cleared a portion, built a log- 
hotise and barns, and commenced the occujia- 
tion of lumbering. He met with such a 
marked degree of success in this enterprise 
that very soon thereafter he added 1,300 acres 
to his first purchase. He was one of tlie first 
settlers in that jiart of the tow-nship. and in 
time became a \er_\- prominent lumberman of 




BURTON' WALUROX ROGERS. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



Warren County. At that time there were no 

roads — nothing was known of the country or 
streams, and few jieople left tlie river lianks. 
Mr. Mowris was a true Democrat, and filled 
many positions of trust, such as justice of the 
peace, sciiool director, township treasurer, and 
townshi]) road connnissioner. He embraced 
the faith of the Presbyterians, and was a mem- 
l)er of the Masonic fraternity. He was joined 
in marriage with Margery Davis, who proved 
a faithful companion and helii-meet. She was 
a daughter of Pjenjamin Da\is. and grand- 
daughter of Peter Davis, who descended from 
a well-known family of farmers in Ulster 
County, New York. Peter Mowris and his 
worthy wife reared a family of seven children, 
all of whom grew to manhood and woman- 
hood. Their names are : William H.; Thom- 
as; Benjamin D., our subject; John; Eliza; 
Phoebe (DuBois) ; and Sarah (Magee). 

Benjamin D. IMowris married Helen Cam- 
eron, the nuptials occurring in 1873. She is a 
daughter of Andrew and Helen (Adams) Cam- 
eron, and granddaughter of Angus and Mar- 
garet (McKenzie) Cameron, all of whom were 
natives of Aberdeen, Scotland. She was 
brought to this country by her parents when 
but six years of age, and consequently re- 
cei\-cd her mental training in this country. 
I\Ir. and Mrs. Mowris are fortunate in having 
one daughter, Helen H., in whom all their 
hopes are centered. She was born in 1881, 
and received her primary education in the 
district schools, being a student now in the 
Clarion State Normal School, a member of 
the graduating class of 1901. 

The present residence of Mr. Mowris was 



built by him in 1892, as were also his barns, 

u])()n his farm of 146 acres, 40 acres of which 
are cleared. Notwithstanding liis busy life, he 
has found some time to de\'ote to public af- 
fairs. He is a sturdy advocate of good schools 
and good roads. He and Angus Gillis 
v,ere given the credit for starting the move- 
ment in favor of free bridges, the borough of 
Warren being particularly benefited thereby. 
He is independent in politics, and has served 
as justice of the peace, postmaster, school di- 
rector, and treasurer. Socially, he is a mem- 
ber, trustee, and past master of P. of H. In 
religious attachments he is a Presbyterian. 



L'KTOX W.VLDROX ROGERS, a 
lumber manufacturer of Mead town- 
ship, Warren County, whose portrait 
appears on the opposite page, is one of the 
successful business men of the Thirty-seventh 
judicial District of Pennsylvania. In 1S65, 
with the assistance of his brother. Lucien P., 
he took charge of the old saw mill formerly 
occupied by his father. It was then run by 
\\ater power and had a capacity of only 300,- 
000 feet of sawed lumber. They soon after in- 
creased the output to 1,000,000 feet. In 18S5 
Lucien P. retired from the firm and Burton 
W. became the sole owner. Two years later 
he tore down the old plant and Imilt a new 
one in its stead. It is now equipped with the 
most modern and labor-saving machinery. 
The plant contains both a planing null and. 
saw mill combined, and has railroad facilities 
in the shape of sidings on the W. N. Y. & P. 
R. R. line. The plant started in a modest 



660 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



\\a_\'. nicrt'ly sawing' logs ami sliippiiig thcni to 
Pittsburg and soiitliern markets, l)y the old 
method of rafting. It now has a capacity of 
six million feet of linishe(l lumlier and is a 
monnment to Mr. Rogers' enterprise. Tt is 
sini]ily astonishing to compare the new meth- 
ods with the old. The neat, commodious of- 
fices were huill in iS8o. 

Burton W'aldron Rogers was horn June :, 
1S40. on the old homestead in Mead town- 
ship, huill hy his beloved fatlier. Me is a son 
of Alson and Kezia 1'. (Sill) Rogers and 
grandson of Dr. Joseph and Cornelia (\\'al 
dron) Rogers. Dr. Josepli Rogers was a man 
of ready sympathy and was exceptionally skill- 
ful in his chosen profession. lie died while 
still a young man, being oidy thirty-six years 
old. He left a widow, Cornelia (Waldron), 
formerly of Long Island, who survived him 
only one month, and six small children. The 
names of his children are: Alson, father of 
Burton W.; James E., who engaged in mer- 
cantile business at Jamestown; Samuel W'al- 
dron, who went west to Illinois; Su,san A., 
wife of Reuben I'arker, a progressive farmer 
of Arnold, \'t.; and Cornelia, whose first hus- 
l)and's name was Miller and wlio afterward 
married a Mr. Bradshaw, of Illinois. 

Alson Rogers was born in November, 1807, 
at Poughkeepsie, N. Y. After his parents' 
deaths he went to li\e with his relatives at 
I'nderhill, \'t., ;ind attended school in that 
place. In 1829 he started westward by wav of 
the Erie Canal, intending to locate in Michi- 
gan, but was persuaded instead to locate in 
Warren, Pa., where he entered into partner- 
ship with a friend in mercantile business. lie 



subsequemly discontinued that occupation 
and engaged in teaching school. In 1833 he 
purchased the property now owned by him, 
which was at that time an old-fashioned saw- 
mill. He built the present homestead in Mead 
lownshii), and in 1840 built the sawmill occu- 
l)ying the site of the present one. He alwa\s 
\oted the Democratic ticket until the forma- 
tion of the Republican party in 1856, and 
thereafter adhered to the principles of the 
latter. Mr. Rogers ranked among the most 
prominent men in the comity and occu])ied 
an enviable position in the esteem of his fel- 
low-men. He dealt in real estate, buying and 
selling land, and made a considerable fortune 
by so doing. He died in 1876, aged sixty- 
eight 3-ears. He was unitetl in marriage with 
Kezia P. Sill, a daughter of Nathaniel Sill, 
whose life history appears in the sketch of 
George W. Sill, found elsewhere in this \'ol- 
ume. Kezia w-as born in 1815 and survived 
her husband thirteen years, being seventy- 
th.ree years old at the time of her death. She 
was a faithful member of the Presbyterian 
Church, but held very lilieral views on the sub- 
ject of religion, and gave her hearty support 
to any religious movement. This worthy 
couple reared seven children, as follows: Mary 
(Catlin), deceased; Lucien P., an oil pro- 
ducer in W'arren; Burton Waldron, subject of 
this sketch; Maria (DeFrees), deceased; Eliza- 
beth; Kezia; and Alson, now a civil engineer 
residing in Warren. 

Burton Waldron Rcjgers receixetl his pri- 
mary education at Warren. Later he gradu- 
ated from the old academ_\- there, then from 
Warren L nion Sclujol antl from the Business 




ALDEN iMARSH. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



663 



College of Poughkeepsie, N. Y. After com- 
])lctin,t;- his education he engaged in lunihcr- 
iiig, w hicli he lias since followed. 

The subject of this sketch was joined in 
marriage with Emogcne Chamberlain, a 
daughter of O. G. Chamberlain, of Michi- 
gan. Emogene was educated ])artly in Michi- 
gan and took a finishing course at Syracuse, 
N. Y. For some time afterward she was suc- 
cessfully engaged in teaching. 

Mr. Rogers is a Republican. He is a mem- 
ber, and li1)eral supporter, of the I^resbyterian 
Church. 




LDEN MARSH, deceased, late of 
Youngsville, Warren County. Pa., 
•whose portrait accompanies this 
sketch of his life, was born in Windham Coun- 
ty, Vermont, July 6, 1810. He was mentally 
trained in the public schools of the "Green 
Mountain" State, and considering the chances 
afforded at that early period for securing an 
education, he ranked with the average youth 
in his scholastic attainments. 

At the age of twenty-three he left his native 
state and located in Warren County, Pennsyl- 
vania, where, with the exception of a short 
time spent in Michigan, he remained the bal- 
ance of his life. Mr. Marsh was a hard worker 
all his active days, being imbued with an in- 
dustrious spirit and thrifty habits. He made 
the most out of what the Creator had placed at 
his connnand, and being the architect of his 
own fortune he builded with care and jealously 
guarded his financial affairs. His judgment 
was sound, clear, and far-sighted, and few if 



any could drive a better bargain in the mar 
kets. He saw the advantages in Warren 
County which were open to an active and en- 
ergetic man, who would push a lumber enter- 
prise, and at once engaged in that business 
and followed it successfully for many years, ac- 
cumulating a large estate. On October 14, 
1855, he was united in marriage with Lucinda 
Cook, a daughter of Asa Cook. She was born 
at Ellicott, now Carroll, Chautauqua County, 
New York, May 2, 1820. 

Asa Cook, father of Lucinda (Cook) ■\Iarsh, 
was a native of Vermont, moved to the Em- 
pire State and located in Chautaucpia 
County at a time when that section 
was a vast wilderness. He purchased 
a tract of land which he cleared and 
converted into a farm, on which he built 
a house and other buildings, and followed 
farming. Being one of the pioneers of the 
county, he had to withstand the hardships and 
privations incident to the early settlement and 
development of a hitherto wild and unculti- 
vated country. About 1824 he moved to 
Pennsylvania, locating at Pine Grove in War- 
ren Comity, where he followed agricultural 
pursuits, and was the pioneer in the manufac- 
ture of cheese and butter, keeping a large 
numljer of cows for the purpose. This he 
found to be a very profitable business. He 
married Fanny Elmore, a native of Windham 
County, \^ermont. They lived long and use- 
ful lives, and were highly respected and hon- 
ored in the community in which they Ii\'ed. 
He died February 6, i860, aged sixty-nine 
years, flis wife survived him several years, 
attaining the advanced age of seventv-six, 



564 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



wlien she joined him on the other shore, May 
g, 1874. Fonr chilchxn were born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Cook, wliosc names are as follows: 
Lucinda, wife of our sul)jcct; Robert: F.lmira 
and Emery. 

Along the social line, our subject was well 
known and deservedly popular: his excellent 
qualities and virtues of heart and mind were 
duly appreciated by his fellow-men. He was a 
valued member of the Odd Fellows, and a 
Unix'crsalist in his religious belief. He was a 
Republican in his political preferences, and at 
times held minor offices; was commissioner 
of Warren County for nine years, and fre- 
quently served as school director in Youngs- 
ville borough. He died May 14, 1874. 
1-'-^ 

ISS LURA A. BUCKLiN. whose 
life well illustrates the rapid 
progress being made by the 
women of \\'arren County in the af- 
fairs of the business world, is pro- 
prietor of "The Fair," a store of Tidioute 
devoted to ladies" furnishings, fancy goods, 
embroideries, etc., toys, fancy crockeries, and 
books and stationery. She is a daughter of 
Francis Keyes and I.ura .\nn (Wilcox) 
Bucklin, and was l)orn on December 17, 1859, 
at Titusville, Pa. 

She is a granddaughter of I^rancis Drayton 
P.ucklin. who came of French Huguenot 
stock and was born in Fngland. He came to 
America and settled in llerkinicr County, 
N. Y., where most of his children were born; 
but later moved to Mina township, Chautau- 
(]ua Ct)unty, N. Y. Residing there for some 
time, he then went to Illinois, locating in the 




town of Pecatonica, where he died at the ad- 
vanced age of ninety years. By his first mar- 
riage he had the following children: Francis 
Keyes, the father of our subject; Parker; Win- 
chester; \\'illiam D.; Evelyn (Titus); Mercy 
Ann; and Rhoda. Parker married Minerva 
Hazen, who died young, leaving one son, Wil- 
liam D., whose biography may be found in 
the sketch of C. P. Bucklin on another page 
of this work. Parker formed a second matri- 
monial alliance with Cornelia Preston, by 
whom he had these children: Dewitt; Mercy 
Ann: Delos; Louise; Frank: Annie; and Wal- 
ter. Winchester, the third son of Francis 
Brayton, married Sally Akin. \\'illiam 1). 
married Malinda Small. Mercy Ann is the 
wife of Norman Pier; and Rhoda is the wife 
of Wellington (n-iffith. Francis B. Bucklin 
was again united in marriage, his second wife 
i)eing Sarah Titus, and their union was 
blessed with the following issue: John, Rod- 
ney, Jackson, Or\-ille, Sarah, Phoebe, and 
Jeannette. 

Francis Keyes Bucklin was l)orn in 11am- 
inn-g, Herkimer County, X. Y., November i, 
1810, and with his father moved to Chautau- 
qua County, N. ^'., where he grew to man- 
hood. He took to agricultural pursuits and 
after his marriage moved to Jamestown, 
N. Y., thence to Titusville, Pa., where he 
bought a grist mill and operated it for some 
years. He then sold it and purchased 200 
acres of land in Cherry Tree townshi]), \'e- 
nango County, Pa. He cleared a space, on 
whicii he erected a house, and then lirought 
his family to live. He further cleared the land 
and erected good, substantial buildings, and 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



565 



successfully engaged in farming. He died 
there in 1865. On September 16, 1832, he 
was joined in wedlock with Lorinda B. Burch, 
who died in 1834, at the early age of eighteen 
years. He was again married to Lura Ann 
Wilcox, a daughter of Ephraim Wilcox; she 
was born on July 2, 1817. Mrs. Bucklin is 
enjoying life at the advanced age of eighty- 
two years, and is residing with her daughter, 
Laura A. She has spent a long and useful 
life and is well known and respected through- 
out the section. This marriage resulted in 
the following offspring: Jerome B.; Lorinda: 
Eugene B.: J\LaIinda I.: Francis Keyes, Jr.; 
William D.; Celia A.; Rhoda; Lura Ann; and 
Cieorge B. Jerome B. was born December 8, 
1838, became a farmer of Venango County 
and married Camilla Kerr, \\ ho has three chil- 
dren: Flora, deceased; J. B., Jr.; and Walter. 
Lorinda was born March 4, 1840, married 
Alexander Bright, and both are now de- 
ceased. Eugene B. was born December 3, 
1845, is a painter of Titusville and married 
Elizabeth Landan (deceased), by whom he 
had the following children: Lura A., Dora, 
Ernest A., Eugene, Jr., George, Mary, Frank, 
Dclos, and Lizzie. He formed a second union 
with Lucy Wheeler and they have two chil- 
dren: Mary and Alice. Malinda L married 
S. J. Afeyers, of Jamestown, N. Y. They had 
Gertrude E., deceased: Mamie L.; Lura B.; 
and George B. Mrs. Meyers died about 1886. 
Francis Keyes, Jr., was born Dcccmlier 4, 
1850, is a farmer of Bradford, married Evd 
Hartman, and they have a daughter, Grace. 
\\'illiani D. was born April 2C\ 1853, is a 
butcher of Xorth Clarendon, Pa., married 



Adeline Herring, and has three children: 
Hazel, Harley, and Fern. Celia A. was born 
June I, 1855, and is the wife of Robert L. 
Curry, of Tidioute. Rhoda was born June 12, 
1857. and resides at home. Lura Ann is the 
subject of this record. George B.. born Sep- 
tember 18, 1 86 1, is deceased. After the death 
of her husband Mrs. Bucklin, with her family, 
lived upon the farm for about twenty years 
and devoted her attention exclusively to 
liringing up her children in a proper manner. 
She gave them a good education and then 
moved to Jamestown. N. Y., where they re- 
mained a short time. They then returned to 
Pennsylvania, making their home at Tidioute. 
Miss Bucklin, the subject of this sketch, 
embarked in her present business in October, 
1893^ opening a novelty store in the Coltman 
Block, and her success was immediate. The 
store is well-arranged and presents a neat ap- 
pearance and the stock has been greatly in- 
creased since the inception of the business. 
It is a model of its kind and is patronized by 
citizens from all over the county. Socially, 
Miss Bucklin is a favorite, being a genial com- 
panion and a true friend. 



ORNELIUS PENN BUCKLLN. post- 
master of Tidioute and head of the firm 
of C. P. Bucklin & Co., proprietors of 
a large department store, which is among the 
finest of the sort in Warren County, is one of 
Tidioute's most progressive citizens. He was 
born in Tidioute, January 27, 1862, and is a 
son of William Decatur Bucklin, a grandson 
of Parker Bucklin, and a great-grandson of 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Francis Brayton Bucklin, whose ancestors 
came from England and were of French 
Huguenot stock. 

On coming to America, Francis Brayton 
Buckhn, great-grandfatlier of our subject, set- 
tled in Herkimer County, N. Y., where most 
of liis cliil(h-en were horn. Tie migrated to the 
town of Mina, Chautautiua County. N. Y., 
and thence to Pecatonica, 111., where he died, 
aged ninety years. The name of his first wife 
has not Ijeen handed down in the family his- 
tory. They were the parents of these children: 
Francis Keyes; Parker: W^inchester, who mar- 
ried Sally Akin; William D.; Evelyn (Titus); 
Mercy .\nn; and Rhotla, who married Well- 
ington Griffith. The great-grandfather's 
second marriage was to Sarah Titus, w ho bore 
him seven children: John, Rodney, Jackson. 
Or\illc, Sarah, Phoebe and Jeannettc. Par- 
ker Bucklin, grandfather of our subject, was 
born in Herkimer County, N. Y., was en- 
gaged as a farmer in Chautauqua County, 
N. Y., and, later, was for many years a con- 
ductor on the Chicago & Alton R. R. He 
was twice married. His first marriage was to 
Minerva Hazen, who died young. She left 
one child, William L),, the father of our sub- 
ject. The second marriage of the grandfather 
was to Cornelia Preston, the result of their 
union being these children: Dewitt, Mercy 
Ann, Delos, Louise, Frank, Annie and Walter. 

The father of our sul)ject, William D. Buck- 
lin, was born near Chautauc|ua Lake, Chau- 
tauqua County, N. Y., February 14, 1834. He 
attended the district school and at the age of 
fourteen years he began working to support 
himself. He worked in the woods, driving 



horses and doing general work as a laborer. 
He then followed lumbering, rafting timber 

down the .\llcgheny I\iver for many years. In 
1861, during the oil excitement at Tidioute, 
he located in that town and ran boats on the 
ri\-er, transporting oil, which was then shipped 
from the fields in its crude state. The boats 
were fiat-ljottomed.cumljersomc things. which 
were drawn back u]) the ri\er by four-horse 
teams, the horses wading the river, crossing 
and recrossing from one side to the other, as 
was rc(|uired to get good footing that they 
nuglit tt)w the boats. After the railroads were 
built and the shipment of oil was therefore 
less profitable by the river, ^Ir. Bucklin 
bought the National Hotel in Tidioute, re- 
modeled it into a building containing three 
stores and a hotel contaiinng twenty-fix'c 
rooms, and rechristened the hostelry the Tid- 
ioute House. He has since successfully con- 
ducted the hotel, which is situated admirably 
in the heart of the borough. Mr. B'lcklin 
married Hannah McCue, daughter of Neal 
McCue. She died in 1867 at the age of thir- 
ty-fi\e years, leaving two sons: \\'illiam. of 
West Philadelphia, and Cornelius P.. the sub- 
ject of our sketch. A third son, I""rancis. died 
when (pute _\oung. !\Ir. Bucklin married .1 
second time, his second wile being Clara .\. 
Shearer, to whom he was united in 1S76. They 
ha\c two children: Harrison and Belle. 

Our suliject attended the common schools 
in Tidioute and the Mcadville (Pa.) Business 
College, from which he graduatetl in 1876. 
For five years he was employed as bookkeeper 
for the firm of Mabie & Hunter. He bought 
the interest of Mr. Mabie in the drv goods de- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



569 



partiiicnt of tlic firm. Later lie IxniLjlit out 
an adjoiniiii^ store in tlie Ilnnter l)lr)ek and 
enlarged tlie l)usincss. 1 le now 1ias (ine of tlie 
finest, largest and most coni])lete dcjiartment 
stores in tlie county, and it has few, if any, 
c(|uals in adjoining counties. An especially 
prominent and admirably arranged depart- 
ment of the store is that devoted to groceries 
and provisions. It is fitted and arranged in 
artistic st}-le. The other de])artments, de- 
voted to flr_\- goods, boots and shoes, hats and 
caps, men's furnishings, etc., are also com- 
plete and excellently arranged for the con- 
venience of patrons, and with a view to afford- 
ing comfort and facilitating the large trade 
which the store enjoys. The firm also carries 
a very large stock of clothing, the latest de- 
signs in women's furs, everything being of the 
best quality. The store employs a large force 
of clerks, and a number of deliver\ wagons 
are constantly ke])t in service. 

Mr. Bucklin, for two years, was a stock- 
holder in and superintendent of the Tidioute 
Chair Manufacturing Company; he estab- 
lished a saw mill at Dunn's Kddv, where he 
manufactures hardwood lumber and employs 
one hundred men; he is a stockholder in the 
Tidioute Creamery. He is also secretary of 
the Tidioute Board of Trade. 

On August 15, iStjiS, our subject was ap- 
pointed postmaster of Tidioute, and he has 
given complete satisfaction since assuming 
his official duties. Fraternally, he is a past 
grand in the I. O. O. F. ; ])ast master work- 
man in the A. O. U. ^^■. : and a prominent 
member of the K. O. T. M. Religiously, he is 
a l'ni\'ersalist. 



Mr. Bucklin resides in a handsome resi- 
dence at Main and Tidioute streets, with his 
wife and twcj children. His wife was Miss 
Ella Antoinette, daughter of Lewis E. Ham- 
mond, of Bellport, L. L, who was formerly a 
merchant in Tidioute. Their children are 
Maud Farnham and Marshall Edwin. 



/^TlToRGE C. PRIESTLEY is a promi- 
\^J nent resident of Warren, Pa., and is 
well known among the oil and lumber 
interests as a successful and enterprising man. 
He was born June 10, i86j, in Houlton, Me., 
and is a descendant of the Priestleys of Eng- 
land, being a blood relative of Dr. Joseph 
Priestley, the eminent chemist, who discov- 
ered oxygen in 1774. Mr. Priestley's career 
well illustrates what splendid successes may 
be attained by persistent effort and determina- 
tion, and is such a career as should be a stim- 
ulus and an inspiration to every young Ameri- 
can. 

Our subject is a son of George and Mattie 
(Pollock) Priestley. The father was born in 
Houlton, Me., July 30, 1834. The mother 
was born in Riviere du Loup, Canada, in 1836. 
She is now a resident of Pleasantville, \'enan- 
go County, Pennsylvania. George Priestley 
was a lumberman. When President Lincoln 
issued the second call for volunteers to sup- 
press the Rebellion, the father of our subject 
enlisted, sending his family to the home of his 
wife's parents in Canada, and served with 
credit to himself throughout the war. After 
being (lisch;u-gcd from the army, Mr. Priest- 
Icy joined his wife and familv in Canada. In 



570 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



1865 he came to this slate and, incUiced l)y the 
excitement over oil discoN'eries, located in Ve- 
nango County, and opened a hardware store 
in Pleasant\ ille, where he also dealt in coal 
and hmihcr. lie was joined a year later hy 
liis wife and children. He was also interested 
in the production of oil. While a lumherman 
in Maine, Mr. Priestley met with a serious 
accident, which was mainly responsible for his 
death, which occurred on May i. 1892. 

The subject of this sketch is one of eiglit 
chiklren, who were l)orn to Mr. and Mrs. 
Priestlc)' as follows: George C, our subject, 
born June 10, 1862; Thomas B., Ixirn March 2, 
1864; Mary E., lx)rn April 18, 1866; Grant, 
born May 10, 1868; Jessie, born October, 1870; 
Samuel i\, torn Septemljer, 1872; Anna, bom 
August, 1874; and James W., lx>rn September, 
1879. 

After attending the schools of Pleasantville, 
our subject, at the age of eleven years, entered 
the store of Brown Bros., general merchants, 
as a clerk, remaining w ith that firm for about 
six years, when the business was closed out. 
Subse(|uently young Priestley was employed 
as a clerk in tlie grocery of W. E. Banks, 
where lie worked until the autunni of 1880. 
Desiring to see more of the country, he then 
went to Pittsburg, Pa., where he was em- 
ployed as sliipping clerk by A. & T. McKen- 
na, l)rass founders, on Third avenue. During 
the winters of 1880-1881 our siibject attended 
a commercial college in Pittsl)urg, Pa., and in 
Marcli. 1 881, worked with a corps of civil en- 
gineers. In Octoljer of the same year he 
moved to Warren and entered the employ of 
D. McKclvey & Co., oil producers, at Ward- 



well I'arm, where he remained until March, 
iSS(). Ik' was then sent to Goodwill Hill, 
WanxMi County, as su])erintt'ndcnt of the en- 
tire business of the hrni, al that i)lace. In 
1888 the projierty was sold to Roger Sherman 
and C. 15. Seymour of Titusvillc, Pa., who re- 
tained the valuable services of Mr. Priestley. 
When the property again changed hands, in 
1889, Mr. Priestley was still retained hy the 
purchaser, C. L. Gibbs of Titusville, as super- 
intendent, until August, 1890. when he 
bought the mercantile business of the Gillam 
estate at Goodwill Hill. This he success- 
fully managed, subsefjuently fi>rniing a part- 
nership with J. Waldron Miller under the 
firm name of Miller & Priestley, in the 
lumber trade, in addition to his store. 
Through the efforts of Mr. Priestley a 
post ofifice was established at Goodwill Hill 
in 1890, and he was appointed its first post- 
master by John Wanamaker, who was then 
Postmaster-General. Although a stanch Re- 
publican, Mr. Priestley was continued in the 
position during President Cleveland's second 
administration. In politics our subject is ac- 
tive and ever foremost in important contests. 
His health having become precarious, Mr. 
Priestley, in 1897, sold his mercantile business 
and, so far as possible, closed out his interest 
in the lumber trade, and in August, 1898, re- 
moved with his familv to Warren. Since his 
retirement from active business he has made 
numerous investments in various enterprises 
which are proving quite remunerative. A 
merry Christmas indeed was that of 1885, on 
which day Mr. Priestley was united in mar- 
riage to Miss Lula RuL'ind, daughter of the 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



late Ck'orgc Ruland. Mrs. I'riestle)- was born 
in r.atavia. N. V., April i, 1865. To the 
cmii)le have been ]nnn four cliildrcn. as fol- 
lows: Willis P.., born March 24, 1887; Hazel, 
born June iS, 1889; Bessie, born April 14, 
1891; and (leortie R., born November 30, 
1892. 

Mr. Priestley and his family attend the 
First Presln'terian Chnrch of Warren. He is 
an Odd Fellow, an Elk, and a Maccabee, and 
is also a leading member of the A. O. U. W., 
and otlier fraternal societies. 




RS. JULIA ANN ELLIOTT (nee 
Shipman). John Elliott, the hus- 
band of oin- subject, was born in 
Cumberland County, Pa., October 5, 1832. 
He is a son of George and Nancy (Kincelio) 
Elliott, and grandson of George and Betsy El- 
liott. His grandfather was a prosperous 
farmer of Cumberland County. 

George Elliott, father of John Elliott, w-as 
born in 1775. He was an old line Whig, and 
in his religious views was a Presbyterian. He 
and his wife, Nancy, reared the following 
ele\cn children: Amanda; James; Margaret 
(Shaw); George; Eliza (P.annon); Mary 
(Little); Martha (Nesmith); John, husband of 
the subject hereof; Sarah (I'annon); Thomas; 
Rebecca (Siiirley). 

John Elliott' was for thirty years ;i |iilot on 
the .Mlegheny River between W.arren. Pa., 
and Louisville, Ky. In the meantime, he 
bt)ught lumber interests, jobbing in the same. 
He first went to Warren in 1854. In 1864 he 
was imited in marriage with Julia Ann Ship- 



man, the worthy lady whose name heads this 
sketch. Julia is a daughter of Matthew Ship- 
man, and was educated in the district schools 
of Glade township. She has lived all her life in 
that township, on the homestead farm. After 
her marriage with John Elliott, in 1864, 
they remained on the farm, at which time her 
husband assumed the management of the 
same, and has been energetic and successful to 
a marked degree, showing good judgment and 
business ability. He has also had an eye to 
improving the property. He built the present 
house, a neat and comfortable one, in 1885 
He has always been a stanch supporter of 
Democratic principles and, though he has 
often been urged to do so, he would never ac- 
cept party of^ces except the oftice of road 
commissioner. He is a good conversationalist 
on all public matters. In religious matters he 
entertains broad, liberal views. 

Matthew Shipman, father of our subject, 
first located in Warren County in 1820, w-ith 
Mr. Jackson, and was educated under his 
supervision. Matthew went to Pittsl)urg for 
a short period, but subse(|uently returned to 
Warren County and assumed the management 
of a farm in Glade township. This is the 
homestead farm on which our subject and her 
Inisband now reside. The farm was then 
owned by his brother, William Shipman, an 
uncle of oin- subject. Matthew biu'lt a house 
and barns upon the farm. s;uving all the lum- 
ber and erecting all the buildings. In politics 
he was a Democrat and served as road com- 
missioner. In his religious belief he was a 
Universalist. He was imited in marriage in 
1846 with Elizabeth Place. He died .\pril 11. 



574 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



1876; she departed tliis life June 10. 1S79. 

William Shipmaii, uncle of our subject, al- 
ways remained a bachelor, and after acquiring 
a competency on his farm he transferred it to 
his Ijrother, Matthew. It is unnecessary to 
add that his generous gift was highly appre- 
ciated by the father of our subject, and Wil- 
liam was most tenderly cared for the re- 
mainder of his life. 

Mrs. Julia Ann Elliott and her husband have 
a famil}- of six children, as follows: Eva 
(Means), now residing at Cairo, \\'est V'ir- 
ginia; Florine (Means), whose husband is an 
oil producer of Monroe County, Ohio; Bertha 
(Harper) of Elk Fork, West Va.; Reverdy, 
born 1875, instructed in the district schools at 
home, and now his father's assistant on the 
farm; John, born in 1880; and Ralph, born 
Decemlier 30, 1882, and also educated at 
Glade Run. 

On a preceding page, in connection with 

this sketch, appears a portrait of Matthew 

Shipman. 

*-•-♦ ■ — 

UR.\N E. CARSON, one of the most 
((T) i P<M'"'"'i'' '"i"^' progressive citizens of 
Harmony township. Forest County, 
Pa., is a man who had few advantages in his 
youth, and who has, by his own strenuous ex- 
ertions, won success against ad\crse circum- 
stances. He is a son of James and Margaret 
Ann (Stainbrook) Carson and a grandson 
of Robert M. Carson. He was born in 
\\hat was formerly included in Venan- 
go County, but is now Forest County, 
Pa., February 22, i860. The subject of 
our sketch is a self-made man in every sense 



of the term. After years of hard, patient and 
intelligent labor he accuniulalcd sufficient 
money to ]iurchase the farm now occupied by 
him. Although this has not vet been entirel}' 
cleared, it already gi\'cs promise of being one 
of the finest and most valuable farm pro])er- 
ties in Forest County. Leaving school when 
([uite }oung, Mr. Carson went to work at 
farming. Being very poor, he had to work 
when he should have been attending school. 
Somewhat later he undertook lumbering, with 
which he is now thoroughly familiar, luuing 
worked in e\'ery branch of it. He is equally 
at home in the forest, in the mill or on a raft, 
— and in relation to lumber and the lumljcr 
industry he is considered one of the best-in- 
formed men in his county. 

Soon after he began to earn his living by 
working on farms and in the lumber camps 
and oil fields Mr. Carson bought 100 acres of 
wild land two miles and a half from Tionesta, 
the county seat of Forest Count}'. He has a 
well-built modern house and barns and also 
two tenement houses and a workshop on his 
premises. His farm is well supplied with 
stock and is noted as being one of the best- 
conducted in Forest County. It has also an 
abundance of pure, living water, equal to any 
that can be found. Mr. Carson has planted 
two orchards, which jiromise to de\elop into 
producti\'e and profitable features of his prop- 
erty. 

Duran E. Carson was united in marriage to 
Ida McKean, a daughter of James and ]\Iary 
Jane (Prior) McKean, and a native of Butler 
County, Pennsylvania. The couple have three 
children: Annie M., William R. and Orrin 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



E. Politically, Mr. Carson is a Repuhlican: 
he has served the public interests as pathmas- 
ter. In reiit^ions matters he is opposed to 
denominationaiisni and is liberal toward all 
creeds. 

The .grandfather of the subject of this 
sketch, Robert M. Carson, was born in Center 
County, Pa., January 23, 1810, and died at the 
home of his son, Jesse, in Tionesta township. 
Forest County, Pa.. March 28, 1893. Mr. 
Carson resided at Spring Creek, near Belle- 
fonte, Pa., for a number of years, and then 
spent one year in Wayne County, Ohio. He 
subsequently lived three years in Butler 
County, Pa.; nine years in Clintonville, Ve- 
nango County, and one year in Oil Creek, 
whence he moved to Pine Grove township. 
Venango County (now Tionesta township. 
Forest County), in the spring of 1862, where 
he resided until the time of his death. On 
December 26. 1833, he was united in marriage 
with Sarah Steffe of Huntingdon County. 
Her death preceded his about two years and 
a half. After her decease he made his home 
mostly with his children. He raised a large 
and useful family, leaving six sons— Joseph J.. 
James, Jeremiah, John, Jesse, William, and 
two daughters, Malinda (Mrs. J. B. Carr), of 
Titusville. and Mahala (Mrs. Daniel Cline)', of 
Franklin, Pa. He was a very industrious man 
and cleared up a large farm in the woods in 
the southeast portion of Tionesta township. 
He was beloved and respected by bis neigh- 
bors and friends. He always took an acth-e 
part in township altairs. filling many offices in 
his township with credit. In religious faith 
he was a Presbyterian and was, to the last, a 



worthy member of that church. A farm which 
he had partly cleared, three miles from New- 
niansvillc, was sold after his death for $2,500. 
James Carson, father of Duran E., was born 
in Bellefonte, Pa., where he attended the com 
mon schools. He worked on his father's farm 
and afterward at hmiljcring. He was em- 
I)loyed in sawmills and also followed teaming 
for some time in the lumber and oil regions. 
Later m life he was a govenuntnt mail carrier, 
having three routes. In this occupation he 
had an unfortunate experience in connection 
with work on his route between Tionesta and 
Kellettvillc, where he carried the mail three 
times a week. When driving from his home 
to town to get the mail pouch he was set upon 
l)y three masked ruffians, who at the point of 
their revolvers robbed him of his purse con- 
taining about $16. A posse from town im- 
mediately set out in pursuit of the highway- 
men, but failed to get any trace of them. 
James Carson married Margaret Ann Stain- 
brook, a daughter of WiWmm Stainbrook. who 
came to Pennsylvania from Germany about 
eighty years ago. They had five children, as 
follows: Duran E.. the subject hereof; Eu- 
gene: William: Simon; and Enuna. who died 
in infancv. 

RED BECK, senior member of the firm 
of Beck &• Son. tanners, has for manv 
years been one of the most active and 
prominent men in Spring Creek, and he 
IS grcat'y esteemed by all in the village. Pic 
is a son of Casper and Judith ( .Vibling) Beck 
and was born in Wiirtembcrg, Germany. June 
j6, 1839. 



576 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



The paternal sj^randfatlier, Christopher 
iMederiek, was a prominent tanner of Wiir- 
tcniherg. His son, Casper, onr snl)ject"s fa- 
ther, was l)orn in \Viirtenil)erg in 1800, and, 
after receiving a good education tlierc, 
learned the trade of scientific road-huilding 
and became a very successful contractor and 
builder. After continuing in that business for 
many years he accc])ted a position with the 
Government, and ga\e such satisfaction that 
he retained the jjosition until his death, which 
occurred in 1868, at the age of sixty-eight. 
He married Judith Nibling and they were the 
])arents of ti\e children. Two of the sons 
fought in the German War of 1866, and one 
now holds the important office, in Germany, 
of keeper of the forests. 

Fred Beck, the subject of this biography, 
was educated in Germany, ruid at the age of 
forirtccn began to learn the traile of a tanner, 
working in different shojis imtil he was twen- 
ty years old. when he had thoroughly mas- 
tered the trade. In 1861 he set sail for z\mer- 
ica, landing at New York, and after a short 
stay in that city, went to (iowanda. New York. 
He remained there for six months, and at 
once showeil his fitness for citizenship l)y 
enlisting in Com])anv E, Excelsior Brigade 
("jd X. ^'. Keg.) under the conuuand of Gen. 
Sickles, lie entered the army at Dunkirk, 
X. ^'.. in i8hi. and the conijianv were at once 
ordered to .Siaten Island, where the\' were 
sworn in, and from there to Washington, 
D. C. They then went to Camp Woll, Mary- 
land, and thence to Yorktown, Va., where Mr. 
Beck was engaged in his fust battle on May 
5, 1862, the point being at Fair Oaks, where 



he received a slight wound. After taking part 
in the seven days' fight before Richmond, the 
com]iany then fell back to llarrison Landing, 
then to l'()])e"s headquarters at Alexandria, 
and their next 1)attle was at Manassas Junc- 
tion. .\fler fighting in the second battle of 
Bull Run. they marched through the Shenan- 
doah X'aliey to Culpepper, and fought in the 
battle of the Wilderness, and later at Freder- 
icksburg. After taking part in the severest 
fighting at Gettysburg, Mr. Beck was 
wounded, and, after recovering, took part in 
the second liattle of the Wilderness. The 
companv, then under the command of Gen- 
eral (irant. ftnight at Spottsylvania Court 
House, and Mr. Beck was severely wounded 
by a piece of broken shell, on May 11, 1864, 
and was obliged to remain in the hospital at 
W' ashington for three months. In July of the 
same year he went to New York, and was 
there mustered out. 

After his discharge Mr. Beck went to 
Corry, Pa., and accepted the position of fore- 
man in the large tanning works of that place, 
where he remained until 1870. On May 9, 
1870, the firm of Beck & Son was organized, 
and it was indeed a modest start compared 
with their extensi\e plant now in progress. 
The bark was then ground in a machine oper- 
ated by horse ])ii\\er, the out])Ut being about 
two hundred liides per inimth, the product 
lieing finished calf and kip, also a little har- 
ness leather. There is now, however, a de- 
cided change in the appearance of the plant, 
as it now covers five acres of ground, and is 
equi]']ied with the latest special machinery, 
having a capacity of fue hundred hides (1,000 




CHARLES S. KIRKPATRICK. 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



579 



sides) per week. Mr. Beck has erected several 
large buildings, which make a very imposing 
appearance, and which speak volumes for the 
energy and thoroughness of the owner. The 
works are now practically under the control 
of Jnlius Beck, the junior member of the firm, 
though Frederick Beck still continues to di- 
rect the business. The product of the works 
is rough leather, which is shipped to Boston 
markets, the refuse to glue factories, and the 
hair to a Philarleliihia market. In addition to 
the tannery interests, Mr. Beck owns a farm 
of 500 acres, and is a successful raiser of cat- 
tle, devoting his attention to raising the Hol- 
stein breed, and always keeping a large herd. 
Fine barns have been erected on the place. 
Mr. Beck also owns one of the handsomest 
residences in Warren Count\', it lieing an odd 
afTair, built in the unique form of a ^Maltese 
cross, and the observer is at once struck with 
the rareness of beauty and style which this 
house presents. Mr. Beck also owns seven 
other houses. 

Mr. Beck married 'Mary Saidel, who was 
born in Posen, Germany; a daughter of Peter 
Saidel, who came to America in 185 1, and, 
engaging in trade, became very well-to-do. 
Three children have resulted from this union: 
Julius, junior member of the firm of Beck & 
Son; Louisa; and ^larv. Frederick Beck is a 
member of the Lutheran Church, his mem- 
bership is active. He is a member of the A. 
A. O. X. IMystic Shrine, Zem Zem Temple, 
Erie. Pa. His son, Julius, his partner in busi- 
ness, also possesses a farm of 212 acres, which 
is under cultivation, and he is a successful 
breeder of cattle. Mr. Beck has just cause to 



be proud of his well-established business, for 
he has shown an energy untiring, and a thor- 
oughness and conscientiousness which have 
made success for him in all he has under- 
taken. He is highly esteemed in the vicinity, 
and has a large number of warm friends. 




H.M^LES S. KIRKPATRICTv, an 
esteemed resident of Mead township, 
'Warren County, Pa., who is repre- 
sented with a portrait on the preceding page, 
has for many years past occupied a prominent 
position among the well-to-do tillers of the soil 
in that section. He was born in Armstrong 
County, March i, 1843, and is a son of James 
Kirkpatrick of Clarion County, and grandson 
of David Kirkpatrick. 

Charles S. obtained an education, as good 
a one as the district schools afforded, after 
which he began the double occupation of 
farming and lumbering. At the age of nine- 
teen he enlisted as a private in the Union 
Army, August 15, 1862, in Company C, Inde- 
pendent Pennsylvania Infantry. The com- 
pany to which he l:)elonged was detailed for 
garrison duty and rendered valuable service 
until the close of the war. Mr. Kirkpatrick is 
the owner of a very fine farm which is rich in 
oil. Some of the best paying wells in the dis- 
trict were sunk on his farm. Soon alter his 
marriage he built the fine house now occupied 
by himself and family, also the large sul)stan- 
tial barns still standing. He is an earnest Re- 
publican, antl at various times has filled the 
office of school director, constable, roadmas- 
ter, and various township oftices, all of which 



580 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



have been filled in a most satisfactory manner. 

David Kirkpatrick, grandfather of our sub- 
ject, was of Scotch descent; he was a prosper- 
ous farmer of Clru'ion County, I'a. Tic and his 
wife, Martha, were the i)arcnts of ten children: 
James; William, deceased; John, now a resi- 
dent of Armstrong County; Moses, deceased; 
I\oi)ert: Sims, deceased; Mary (Hawkins), de- 
ceased; Margaret (Good); I.ydia, who mar- 
ried; and Martha J., single. 

James, the eldest son ;m(l father of our sub- 
ject, was born March 9, 1809. In 1856 he re- 
nuned into Sheffield townshi]) and began lum- 
liering. Later he went to \\'est Virginia, pur- 
chased some land there, and engaged in farm- 
ing, pursuing that occupation almost to the 
time of his death. lie was united in marriage 
with Martha J. Thomas, and they reared a 
fanu'ly of ten children, most of whom are ac- 
counted for below: David, now a prosperous 
farmer of Indiana County, Pa.; Clarissa (Al- 
lison), whose husl)and, now deceased, followed 
farming in West Virginia; Charles S., the sub- 
ject hereof; Sarah (Blyler), whose husband is 
a nati\e of Warren Count)-; Mary (Wolf), re- 
siding in Tarentum; Rosanna ( I'ernstein), 
who resides in Warren; Martha J. (Rotzel), of 
W'arren; James II., who follows farming in 
\\'est Virginia. James w;is a stanch Repuli- 
lican; he was also a consistent memlier of the 
M. I*". Church; he died in Warren while on a 
\isit from West Virginia. 

Charles S. Kirkpatrick was united in mar- 
riage with Delilah Jeffords, .August 5, 1865. 
Delilah is a daughter of Liberty Jeffords, a na- 
ti\e of New A'ork State, where he is a ])ros- 
perous farmer. Our subject and his wife are 



the parents of seven children. Those living 
are: Charles, who married Blanche Edwards, 
and has three children living, — Orville, 
Claude and (iuy; W.alicr, who follows the oc- 
cupation of an oil driller in West Virginia; 
Eldred, also single, living at the old home- 
stead; I*dma (Stuyvesant), now residing at 
Hyde Town, the mother of two children, 
Laura and Opal; Elva (Hill), living at Wells- 
ville, and also has two children, Marion and 
Lloyd .\,; l>",rnest 1)., youngest son of our sub- 
ject, who is now attending school at Tiona. 
Our subject is a man of liberal religious views, 
with a leaning toward the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church. 




ORERT P. CLARK. Of the many ex- 
cellent citizens of Warren Count)', Pa., 
who are successfully engaged in 
farming, Robert P. Clark certainly deserves 
more than passing mention. In 1880, Mr. 
Clark purchased a farm of 50 acres in the vi- 
cinity of Lottsxille and now has one of the 
most j)roducti\e farms of its size in Ereehold 
town.ship. Immetliately after making the pur- 
chase, he began clearing the land for cultiva- 
tion, also bu)ing a house and moving it up<in 
his land. This house has l)een improved in a 
l.)ehtting manner, and is now' occupied b)' our 
subject and his famil)'. 

Our subject was boin in Westniorcland 
County, Pa., .\ugust _', 1837, received his 
scholastic training in the same county, after 
which he learned the cooper trade at West 
Overton. After being emplo\ed there for 
some time, he discontinueil working at the 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



581 



cooper trade for a time and was subsequently 
employed in the distilleries of Overholt & Lee. 
Later, he went into the oil fields and engaged 
in making barrels fur oil use until iHC)2, re- 
sponding to our coinitry"s call for men at that 
time, and enlisting at Oil City in ?vlarch, i86j, 
in Company H. 4th Reg., Pa. Vol. Cav. The 
regiment to which he l>elonged was immedi- 
ately ordered to Washington, D. C, and from 
there to the front under command of Col. 
Cavod. From the first. Company H exper- 
ienced hard fighting, and Air. Clark took part 
actively in alxnit 40 battles, besides many skir- 
mishes. Among the principal battles fought 
were those of Gettysburg, Petersburg and St. 
Mary's Church. On the night of February 6, 
1865. while on jiicket duty at Blackwater, Va., 
Mr. Clark was shot in the leg, the ball pene- 
trating alxive tlie knee and glancing down- 
ward, finally lodging in tiie knee joint. After 
remaining in the hospital for some time he was 
finally discharged as cured, but the bullet al- 
ways bothered him. and a few years ago it be- 
came necessary to have his leg amputated. 
The injury was such a i>eculiar one that the 
knee joint with bullet was preserved and is held 
at the Surgeons' Museum, Washington, D. C, 
subject to ]\Ir. Clark's orders. 

Our subject entered the army as a private, 
went right to the front and remained there un- 
til wounded : was never sick nor excused from 
duty while in the service until wounded, and 
was dischargefl as sergeant, .\fter the war 
Mr. Clark returned to the oil fields and began 
speculating in oil, being fairly successful. 
Later he started a small refinery and still later 
contracted for the drilling of oil wells with of- 



fice at Bradford, Pa., continuing in that occu- 
pation until 1880, when be purchased his pres- 
ent farm, and is now spending the sunset of life 
in the (|uiet and peaceful occupation of an agri- 
culturist. 

David Clark, the father of our subject, was 
born in Somerset County, Ta., in 1804, and 
received a good practical education in the same 
county. His father, the grandfather of our 
subject, rendered distinguished service to our 
country during the Revolutionary W^ar, and 
lived to the extreme old age of one hundred 
and thirteen years. After leaving school, 
])a\id learned the shoemaker's trade, following 
that occupation for a number of years. Later 
he learned the cooper's trade and worked at 
that calling the remainder of his life. In iM)li- 
tics he was a Democrat. He was a member of 
the Masonic fraternity, and was buried by that 
order in 1856. He was joined in marriage 
with Catherine Kennedy and they reared a 
family of thirteen children, as follows : Sarah 
A. (Hough) ; James; Nancy (Hill) ; Elizabeth 
(Stewart); Minerva (Wormsford) : Robert 
P.. subject of this review: Joseph: William: 
Jeremiah; David; Elvira (Cochran): Marion; 
and Mary A., deceased. 

Our subject was united in marriage with 
Margaret Dower, an attracti\e daughter of 
Henry and Elizaljeth Dower. Mrs. Clark is a 
native of Germany, and was brought to Amer- 
ica by her parents when only six years of age, 
receiving her education in \^enango County, 
Pa. She bore her husband one son, Delwayne. 
Delwayne Clark first saw the light of day in 
Sliaml)urg, \'enango County, Pa., in 1870. 
He was educated in the village of Lottsville, 



682 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



since whicli lie lias ably assisted his father in 
tlie manaj^cmcnt ni the farm. ?Ie is not only a 
siiurco <if pride tn his iiai'enls, hut is practically 
their mainstay in their deelini us;- years. 

Tn politics Mr. ("lark is a member of the 
I'eoplc's party, Init has no political aspirations. 
Socially he is a memlwr of the William C. Carr 
Tost, G. A. R., of Hear Lake, I'a. In church 
preferences the family adheres to the faith of 
the Methodists. Mr. Clark h.as profited by the 
years he has de\'oted to as^ricnltnral jjursuils 
and has de\'cliiped into a man of bi^oad ideas, 
\vhi> is thomn.i^hly informed nn all points re- 
latint;- to his business. 1 [e has a "ood standing 
in the community, and is certainly a citizen of 
whom an\' counlv would be iirond. 




■QMER J. MUSE, a successful and 
well-known lawyer of Warren, Penn- 
sylvania, is a descendant of one of 
the pioneer settlers in this state. He was Ixjrn 
in the villag-e of Brownsville, now^ (1899) 
Sandy Lake borough, Mercer County, Penn- 
syl\ani;i, Xovember 2(1. 1855, and is a son of 
I'hillip Kimble and Catharine M. (Martin) 
Muse. His paternal great-great-grandfather 
was James Muse, the first of the Muse family 
tf) immigrate to America. He came from the 
north of England, where there now reside 
many of the same name, who are extensive real 
estate owners. The date of his arrival in 
America is not known, but he located in Alle- 
gheny County, Pennsylvania, in or alxiut 1754, 
and there yet reside in that county many of his 
descendants, who are successful and prosi)er- 



ous business men. 

James M, Muse, the grandfather of Homer 
J. Muse, was born in Allegheny County, Penn- 
sylvania, in 1801, anil when a young man 
moved to Mercer County, Pennsylvania, where 
he purchased a tr;ut of wood land and I>egan 
clearing it for a farm. A few years later he 
sold his possessions there and removed to New 
Vernon township, and a little later to Mill 
Creek township in the same county, where, 
and at the \-illage of New Lebanon, I'ennsyl- 
\'ania, in the same township, he carried on 
farming pursuits in connection with the mer- 
cantile business for many years, or until about 
the year 1858. \\'bile he resided near (Irecn- 
\ille, he married Jane Waters, whose family 
resided in that vicinity. She died in 1834 at 
the age of thirty-four years. Their children 
were: John; Faunteleroy A.; Phillip Ivimble; 
and Sarah Jane. His second union was with 
Hannah Condit, whose family resided near 
Girard, Erie County, Pennsylvania. Their 
children were : Addison ; Norvel A. ; Frank 
Dempster; Lucretia; Mary; and Caroline. 
James M. Muse retired from the mercantile 
business about 1858, but continued the farming 
business until the time of his death, which oc- 
curred in 1865, in the 1x)rough of New Leban- 
on, Pennsylvania, He was a man of very ex- 
tensive ac(|uaintance and business and social 
relations. He was a devoted member and sup- 
porter of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and 
was always actix'ely interested in its welfare. 

Phillip Kimble Muse, the father of Momer J. 
Muse, was born in New W^rnon township, 
Mercer County, Pennsylvania, on January 18, 
1827, and received his early education in the 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



683 



scIkwIs of his native town, and later attended 
.\!Ieg;lieny C(jllege at Meadville. He followed 
in his father's footsteps and entered the mer- 
cantile Imsiness, which he successfnlly pnrsned. 
hrst in Brownsville (now Sandy Lake bor- 
oui^'h). and later in New Lebanon, Mercer 
Ciinnt\-, PennsvKania, wliich bnsiness he fol- 
lowed in the latter place nntil 1869, when, hav- 
ing purchased his deceased father's homestead 
farm, located just outside the limits of New 
Lebanon borough, he pursueil the business of 
farming for a number of years thereafter. The 
greater portion of his mercantile career was 
spent in the torough of New Lebanon, where 
he now resides and is enjoying a retired life. 
He is an attendant of the Methodist E[)iscopal 
Church. 

Li politics the ]\luses ha\e always been 
Whigs and Republicans. Five of the six sons 
of James M. Muse, including the father of our 
subject, were volunteers in the Union Army in 
the ^^'ar of the ReWlion. and the lives of tliree 
of them weve yielded up in defense of the cause 
for which they fought. 

I'hillip Kimble Muse, in 184S, married Catli- 
arine Mumford Martin, a daughter of John 
Martin, a farmer, residing near LUica, Ve- 
nango County, Pennsyhania. She was hovn 
December 16, 1825, and died at New Lebanon, 
Septeml>er 24, T884. Their children were: 
Martha Jane, intermarried first with Addison 
S|)rague, and l;iter with Judge Hause of Ken- 
tucky; Mary Angelinc. the wife of \\'. H. P.. 
Rogers, of New Castle, Pennsylvania: Flor- 
ence Annetta, the wife of L. S. Har\-ey, of 
Mayville, New York; Homer J.; Birdie, wife 
of Wm. T. Mackev, residing in New Castle, 



Pennsylvania; James Myndert, of New Leban- 
on, Pa. ; John Foster, residing at Williams- 
held. .\slital)ula County. Ohio; and Allic, the 
wife of George C(,)le, now residing at New 
Lebanon, Pennsylvania. 

Homer J. Muse, the subject of this sketch, 
recci\ed his education in the schools of his na- 
ti\e town and at the New Lebanon Academy. 
Previous tO' finishing his academic course he 
taught school for three years. Li April of 
1877 lis began the study of law in the office of 
Dodd & Lee, Franklin, l'enns_\l\ania, and dur- 
ing the first year's study was em])loyed at 
pumping oil wells at Foster's Station in that 
county, whence he walked to Franklin, a dis- 
tance of se\-en miles, bi-monthly to recite to his 
|)receptors and receixe instruction. He was 
admitted to the bar at Franklin, on April 9, 
1879, and immediately began the practice of 
his ]>rofession in McKean County, which be 
continued to do until May, 1882. when he re- 
moved to Warren, where he has since resided 
and practiced. He has diligently pursued the 
study and practice of law, and by doing so, and 
avoiding ixilitics, except to the extent of acti\e- 
ly aiding in the nomination and election of 
members of his party to office, has achie\ed 
success in his chosen profession. 

On Noveml:)er 26, 1882, he was uniteil in 
marriage with Ada Elizal>eth Dunham, a 
daughter of Azariah P. Dunham, of Deer 
Creek township. Mercer County, Penns\l- 
\ania. I'ive children have been born unto 
them, only one of whom, M.arian Dunham, is 
lixing, two sons and two daughters ha\-ing died 
in infancv. 



684 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



ANIEL OFFERLEE,* the leading 
I IS 1 florist of Warren, Pa., and a hielih- 
respected citizen of that town, is a 
son of Jacob and Martha (Spangler) Offerlee. 
and was born h'ebruary i8, 1850, in Warren. 
Pcnnsyhania. 

Jacob Offerlee was born Fcbruar\- 24, 1824. 
ill i'>al)cnhausen, Alsace, ("jcrnianv. and came 
to America in 184^). locating in the 
town of Warren, I'ennsyKania. While in 
Cierniany he learned the trade of making 
W(K)den shoes, Init on settling in this country 
he set about learning the trade of wagon mak- 
ing, meanwhile making washboards and sell- 
ing tliem to the woiuen of Warren; in this 
way he supported himself while learning the 
other trade. It was not long until he had mas- 
tered the English language, and after he had 
learned wagon making, he started into busi- 
ness for himself and thus continued for some 
years, until he retired from active life. In 
1846 he married Martha S])angler, the mar- 
riage taking jjlace in Warren, where they still 
reside. Ijoth in perfect health. Their children 
were: Daniel; Benjamin; May Martha; Siloma 
Edella; Louisa; Charles, and Philip. Mr. Of- 
ferlee is a member of the Masonic Lodge of 
Warren. 

Daniel Offerlee. the subject of this sketch, 
attended the public schools of Warren until he 
\\as fourteen years of age. when he Nvent to 
the German school for one year and a half. 
On leaving this he went to work with his 
f;ithcr and remained with him tweK'c \ears. 
Our subject tlieri went west, and was engaged 
in business some time in Chicago and in Iowa. 
After returning to Warren, he worked at wag- 



en making in connection with his father's bus- 
iness, and continued this until 1888. when he 
went into the florists' line, in which he is still 
engaged. This business is situated on Cone- 
wango a\enue. 

.Mr. Offerlee was united in marriage Jan- 
uary 8, 1872, with Mary Ann Axe. daughter 
of Bartholomew Axe of Pleasant ville, Warren 
County, Pa., and they are the parents of five 
children, as follows: Wallace, born December 
14. 1874; Lenora, born February 2, 1876; 
Bertha, born June i, 1879, and Sherman Har- 
ris Randolph, born Feljruary jy, 1892. Mr. 
Offerlee is a member of the K. of P.; A. O. L^ 
W. ; P. H. C. ; Conewango Grange, and K. O. 
T. M. He has been a fireman for thirty-one 
years. Mr. Offerlee does an extensive busi- 
ness, and always deals with his customers in 
an upright and honest manner. 




\C\;/ ILLIAM W. WINGER.'!-- a well- 
nown oil operator of the Thirty- 
seventh Judicial District of Pennsyl- 
vania, was born July 25, 1839, in Cranberry 
township. Venango County, Pa., is a son of 
Daviil and Catherine (Smith) Winger, and 
grandson of John Winger, who. in company 
with his brother Jacob, now a resident of Mer- 
cer County, removed from the eastern part of 
the state and settled in Westmoreland Coun- 
ty, near the borough of Greensburg. There 
he followed the occupation of a farmer, al- 
though he is supposed to have been a black- 
smith by trade. He served his country during 
the War of 181 2, being in active service along 
the lakes. About 1835 he removed to Beaver 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



township, Clarion County, Pa., where he re- 
mained six years. He subsequently settled in 
Cranberry township, Venango County, and 
spent the remainder of his days there, peace- 
fully passing away at the advanced age of 
eighty-eight years. He took for his life com- 
panion Mary Miller, who, departed to the life 
beyond at the age of eighty-four. They reared 
seven sons and four daughters, one of the sons 
being David Winger, father of the subject of 
this sketch. 

David Winger was born near Greensburg, 
Pa., and accompanied his parents to Clarion 
County. In early manhood he Icru-ned the 
trade of a Ijlacksmith and followed that occu- 
pation all his life. He was united in marriage 
with Catherine Smith, a native of Lancaster 
County, Pa., and a daughter of John Smith, of 
Holland. After his marriage he located in 
Cranberry township, Venango County, where 
he follow'ed his chosen calling until i860. At 
that time he removed to Oil City, residing 
there until cut otif by death in 1863, at the age 
of fifty-four years. His good wife survived 
him until she had passed her seventy-seventh 
mile-stone. They favored the doctrine of the 
Lutheran Church. Mr. Winger was a \\'hig 
first and later a Republican. They were par- 
ents of seven children, one of whom, William 
W. Winger, is the subject of this sketch. 

\\'illiam \\'. Winger received his scholastic 
training in the imblic schools of his native 
county, and at Grove City select .school. Upon 
reaching maturity he engaged in teaching 
school, and was thus employed until the Civil 
War broke out. Resigning his ])osilion, he 
responded to our country's call for men and 



enlisted in Company A, 76th Reg., Pa. Vol., 
known as the Keystone Zouaves. They were 
detailed for guard duty at Port Royal har- 
bor. After remaining in the service about a 
year and a half, he was discharged by reason 
of disabilil)-. After recuperating and recov- 
ering his usual health, he embarked in the 
mercantile business at Oil City, and was thus 
engaged for four years. Li the meantime he 
had acquired some oil interests, to which he 
determined to devote his attention. He ac- 
cordingly disposed of his mercantile interests 
and since then has been actively engaged in 
oil operating in \'cnango, Butler, Forest, Mc- 
Kean and Warren counties. His properties 
are now located in the Tiona district, and his 
territory coxers an area of one thousand acres, 
four hundred acres of which are leased. On 
this territory Mr. \\'inger has one hundred 
and seventy oil wells, all in successful opera- 
tion.' In 1865 Mr. Winger was united in mar- 
riage with Rosetta Shearer, a daughter of 
James Shearer, of Crawford County. Two 
daughters now bless their home, namely: 
Catherine and Elizabeth May. 

In 1872 Mr. Winger removed from Oil City 
to Edenburg, remaining there until 1884, 
when he took up his residence in Warren, 
Warren County, where he has since made his 
home. He has been an acti\e worker in the 
church ever since he was twenty-one years of 
age, and is now a member of the First Presby- 
terian Church in Warren. In politics he is a 
Republican, Init does not aspire to of^ce. He 
has been connected from time to time with 
the manufacturing industries of Warren, and 
is an enterprising and puldic-spirited citizen. 



586 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 




^ ROF. JOHN W. ETJJOTT,* prin- 
cipal of llic Stoncliani (Iraded 
School, is not only an able instructor 
of youthful minds, hut is also a highly respect- 
ed citizen of Stonehani, Mead township, War- 
ren County, Pennsylvania. 

The first school established in Stonehani 
was held in a one-room building. In 1893 the 
liuilding was enlarged and remodeled, and the 
school changed from an ungraded to a graded 
school. It is (juile unusual for so small a \"il- 
lage as Stonehani to jje supplied with a graded 
school, and it is largely patronized. Although 
the attendance has been son;ewhat diminished 
by the closing" of the tannery, one of the prin- 
ciiKil industries of the \-illagc, }'ct during the 
past fall and winter the principal room had 
an enrollment of thirty-six pupils, while the 
intermediate de])artment, taught liy Miss Inez 
Brownell, reported an attendance of about 
thirty-seven. Prof. Elliott has been in charge 
of the school for the past three years, and has 
done his utmost to stimulate the progress of 
his pupils, and also to buiUl up the rep- 
utation of the school. The more advanced 
pupils have the advantage of taking a high- 
school course, which is quite an improvement 
over the old curriculum in use previous to 
Prof. Elliott's employment as principal. The 
pupils, parents and school directors of the 
township are highly pleased with the manner 
in which Prof. Elliott has conducted the 
school, and he has won the warm friendship 
and admiration of a large circle of acquaint- 
ances in that vicinity. Prof. John \V. Elliott 
was born in Clarion County, Pa., near Sligo 
or Callensburg, is a son of William D. Elliott 



and grandson of John Elliott, for whom he was 
named. 

John Elliott was a native of Enniskillen, Ire- 
land, and came to America in 1810, while yet 
a single man. He possessed ample means, and 
after prospecting for some time, settled in 
Westmoreland County, Pa., near Greensburg, 
where he established a factory for the maiiu- 
facture of iron, conducting it for seven or eight 
years, then sold it, and purchased, from John 
\\'orden, a farm containing 240 acres. This 
farm was situated in Clarion County, Pa., and 
the rest of Afr. Elliott's life was spent there in 
the peaceful occupation of a farmer; there it 
was that his death occurred at the age of fifty- 
four ^•ears. He rendered valued service to our 
country as a soldier during the War of 181 2, 
especially at Oueenstown. He was a member 
of the M. E. Church, while Airs. Elliott wor- 
shiped with the Presbyterians, — both being 
devout Christians. The following are the 
names of their children: John W.; Sarah Ann : 
Thomas L; Caroline; Mary J.; Amanda; anil 
William D., father of the subject hereof. 

William D. Elliott was born on the Lane 
farm, and after attending public school stayed 
at home assisting his parents and caring for 
them during their last days. After their deatli. 
he purchased the interest of the rest of the 
heirs, and thus retained the old homestead, 
where he has followed the occupation of fann- 
ing ever since, with the exception of some time 
spent in fulfilling contracts to grade for the 
Allegheny Valley Railroad. He. like his father, 
was very successful in farming, and to-day 
ranks among the ablest fanners of his town- 
ship. He has served in political ofifice, as 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



587 



school director and as township commissioner. 
He was united in marriage with Jane Thomas, 
a daugliter of Wilhani Tliomas, of Callens- 
burg, Pa., who is still his companion, as of 
yore. Both are wonderfully well preserved 
and arc enjoying the best of health, after rear- 
ing a family of twelve children: Agnes, now 
deceased; John W., subject of this sketch; 
Albert, who married Elizabeth Over; Edward, 
also a successful teacher, who married Belle 
Tipery; Eva, wife of Andrew Campbell; Will- 
iam, still a bachelor; Minna, wife of Lloyd 
Beck; Charles; Edith; Leola; Ernest, and 
Joseph. 

Prof. John W. Elliott, after receiving his 
primary education in the public schools, at- 
tended Callensburg Academy, subsequently 
(in 1897) graduating from the Ohio State 
Normal School at Lebanon, Ohio. He im- 
mediately began his life work by teaching in 
winter and assisting on the farm in summer, 
anil has continued doing so up to the present 
time. Previous to his going to Stoneham he 
taught principally in district schools, with the 
exception of two terms in the ]\Iorris\ille 
graded school, hi 1896 he accepted the prin- 
cipalship of the Stoneham school. During 
the vacations of late years Prof. Elliott has 
represented the Rand, McNally & Co. books, 
and has also handled school furniture. 

Prof. Elliott was united in marriage with 
charming Bertha Moore, the accomplished 
daughter of Samuel Moore, who is a respected 
citizen of Brookville, Jefferson County, Pa. 
Their union was blessed with three daughters: 
Gladys; Annie, and Eliza Helen. 

Prof. Elliott is a member, and vice grand, 



of the order of the I. O. O. F., and also a 
member of the Knights of Pythias. He has 
served as auditor of Forest County. Both he 
and ]\lrs. Elliott are liberal supporters of the 
M. E. Church. 




\KCIUS C. KERR, M. D.,* a prom 
incut and successful physician and 
surgeon of Grand Valley, Eldred 
township, Warren County, Pa., is known 
throughout the county as a man of learning 
and excellent character. He has a large and 
lucrative practice, and. having a kind and gen- 
ial manner, he has won many friends in that 
vicinity. Dr. Kerr was born in Hydetown, 
Crawford County, Pa., August 29, 1863, and 
is a son of John B. and Helen (Hill) Kerr. 

Samuel Kerr, the paternal grandfather, was 
born in Belfast, L'eland, where he receivetl liis 
education, and became a successful distiller. 
Li course of time he came to America, and 
after landing in New York City decided to set- 
tle in Easton, Pa., where in 1776 he started a 
distillery. Shortly afterward he moved to 
Titusville. Pa., in comjjaii)' with his three 
brothers. Titus\ille was then a forest, there 
being no inhabitants save one. a ^Ir. Titus, 
from whom the town received its name. There 
the l)rothers established a distillery, it being 
the first manufactiu-ing concern in that part of 
the state. Samuel Kerr was succeeded by his 
son, John B. Kerr. who conducted the business 
in his own name until 184J. There were 400 
acres of \aluable timber and farm land in con- 
nection witii the distillery, and John Kerr 
took up the farm land, but sold valuable .jil 



588 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



propeii}- on llie estate, ;iii(l retired from Inisi- 
ness. ]lc married llelen llill, who was 1)oru 
in Syracuse, N. Y., and reeeiveil iier seholastic 
training in lier native town, and also in Titu:-- 
ville, Pa., afterwards tcaeliing school until her 
marriage. This union was blessed with fi\e 
children, namely: Willis; Wilmer; Laura, de- 
ceased; Marcius G., the subject of this sketch; 
and Lottie. Mr. Kerr was an ardent Demo- 
crat, but though he took an active interest in 
politics, he never accepted ofifice. 

Daniel Hill, maternal grandfather of the 
sul)ject hereof, was a nephew of Ethan Allen 
of Ticonderoga fame, who was a soldier in the 
Revolutionary War. Daniel Hill, the great- 
grandfather of our suliject, was a soldier in the 
War of 1812, — being enlisted as a drummer 
boy. .\ftcr the war, he learned the trade of 
cooper, .•nid later m(_i\ed to Titusville, Pa., 
where he was a])pointed superintendent for 
Tlrewer, \\'atson tJt Company. Daniel llill 
married Matilda Stocking of Connecticut, and 
they were the parents of several children, as 
follows: Plenry; Pliram; Sophia, who mar- 
ried Col. W. TT. .\ndrews, a soldier in the Mex- 
ican Wav; Harriet tP>rown); PIclen, the moth- 
er of our subject; Jane (Wheat); Adeline 
(Martin); Emma (Cuild). 

Dr. Marcius C. Kerr, the subject of this 
biography, received his early education iu 
Hydetown and Titusville, and afterward at- 
tended Eastman's Business College at Pough- 
keepsie, N. Y., graduating with the class of 
1880. He then graduated from the State Nor- 
mal School, at Edinboro with the class of 
1S84. After completing his education, he 
went into the lumber business in com])an\- 



with his two brothers, Willis E.. and \\'ilmer 
Kerr. In this they continued until iSyc), wlvju 
they built a large saw mill at Dotyville, Pa., 
and manufactured all kinds of lumber, — the 
mill having a capacity of 40,000 feet per day. 
In 1888, Dr. Kerr liegan the study of medi- 
cine, reading for two years, and tiien, after sell- 
ing out his lumber interests, entered the Star- 
ling Medical College of Columbus, Ohio, and 
graduated from that institution with high hon- 
ors on March 2, 1892. l^r. Kerr then took a 
post-graduate course at the St. Francis' Hos- 
pital, and in 1893 began active practice in 
Pittslield, Pennsylvania. The following year 
he moved to Grand Valley, Warren County, 
and as a general physician and surgeon, he has 
built up a practice ranking auKjug the largest 
in the count}'. 

Dr. Kerr married Aku'y McM;inaniy. who 
was liorn in Circlcville, Ohio, a daughter of 
Thomas McManamy, a nati\'e of Norfolk, Vir- 
ginia. Mr. McManamy is now one of the best 
known bridge, canal and general engineering 
contractors in the country, and has his ofifices 
in Circlexille, Ohio. Mrs. Kerr was primarily 
educated in Circleville, and then graduated 
from the high school in Columbus, Ohio, and 
also still later from Brant Business College. 
Eor three years she was ofilicial stenographer 
in the U. S. Court, and resigned her position 
to prepare for her marriage with Dr. Kerr. 
Two children are the result of this union, 
namely: Helen and Kathleen. Dr. Kerr is a 
stanch Democrat, and is president of the 
school board and secretary of the board oi 
health. Pie is medical examiner for insurance 
companies, and surgeon for railroad corpora- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



589 



tions. Ifc is a niciulicr uf tlic Titns\illc Lodge, 
H. 1'. O. E., and is now acting noble grand in 
Cirand Valley Lodge, L O. O. F., No. 1072. 




I'loRCl': W. 1!( )\'ARD,- druggist 
and grocer, of Tionesta, Forest 
County, Pa., is looked upon as one 
of the jjionecr business men of Tionesta, 
where he has resided and done business for 
about twenty-eight years. For a long period 
he has been the leading mereliant of the town 
which he has so long made his home, and in 
which he has long pursued an unusually active 
and successful career. Mr. Bovard was born 
in Butler County, Pa., T^Iay 12, 1841, and is a 
son of Johnson and Lydia (.Vdams) Bovard. 
He is a grandson of James Bovard, who is 
numbered among the pioneers in Pennsyl- 
vania. 

James Bovard, grandfather of our subject 
on the paternal side, was a native of Ireland, 
who came to the United States when a young 
man and settled in ^\'estmoreland County, 
Pennsylvania. There he married a Miss 
Chambers. He was a farmer, and from an 
humble lieginning, by industry and thrift, he 
acquired consitlerable jiroperty. He was an 
uncommonly well read and well informed man, 
and for some time served as associate judge in 
the county in which he resided. He and his 
estimable wife reaied se\en sons and two 
daughters, all of whom ha\e passed into the 
beyond, whose secrets are known only to Him 
who rules all. When the grandfather came to 
this countr_\- he was "rocked in the cradle of 
the deep" for eight weeks: and while pushing 



forward iiUo the wilds of Pennsylvania with 
two Indian guides, the party was without food 
for three days. Finally one of the guides shot 
a skunk, and roasted it; and Mr. Bovard often 
declared that it was one of the Ijest meals he 
c\'er ate, and actually lilleil an aching void. 
Mr. Bovard died about 1855 at the age of 
eighty-four years. His wife survived him for 
ten years. Both sleep in the graveyard of the 
Presbyterian Ciiurch at which they worshiped 
for many years. Johnson Bovard, father of our 
subject, was born either in Butler or West- 
moreland County, Pa., in 181 3. He died in 



Butler Countv in 18: 



The mother of the 



subject of this review was a native of Butler 
County, Pa., and a daughter of Jonathan 
Adams, a wealthy farmer. The parents of our 
subject were farmers, and reared a family of 
six children: Jonathan, a carpenter residing 
in Butler County; Jane, widow of Air. Bren- 
nan, and residing in Mercertown, Pa.; George 
W., the subject of this sketch; J. C, a me- 
chanic residing in Butler County; W. II., 
who also is a resident of Butler County; and 
E. D., who resides in Scranton, Pa., where he 
is well known and highly esteemed as an edu- 
cator, being at the head of five schools. The 
mother of George W. IJovard, at the age of 
eight\-eight \ears. is well ]ircser\ed in mind 
and body. 

The subject of this biography, George W. 
Bovard, was reared to farm life and on the 
farm he got the foundation, physicallv and 
mentally, which so well prepared him for 
active work, and rendered sure the successes 
which have come to h.im in his manhood. In 
.\ugust, 1862. when the call for troops to de- 



590 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



fciul tlic L'nion was iiiado, our subject a1)an- 
(Iducd tlie work on tlio farm and immediately 
enlisted for three months' service in the 13th 
Keg"., I'enna. \'ol. Inf. lie went out witli the 
regiment and saw h.ard ser\-ice in the battles of 
South ^Mountain. Antietam, C'hancellorsvillc. 
Piatt's Plantation and other struggles of the 
early stages of the war. In the battle of 
Piatt's Plantation he had a sensational and 
narrow cscai)e from death. A solid sliot 
struck close to him and besjiattered him with 
several inclies of mud as he lay ujion the 
ground. IMr. Bovard. with the other farm lads 
who early went into the army, had a taste of 
the exposure and* the hardsliips of army life 
which they will ever remember, but which 
they were enabled to withstand with compara- 
tive ease, because of their rugged health and 
their previous wholesome living on farms. 
Our subject declares that the biggest meal he 
e\'er ate he enjoyed on a steamer at Aquia 
Creek landing, on the Christmas Day follow- 
ing" the battle of Fredericksburg. The dinner 
had lieen prepared by the captain of the steam- 
er for ofificers and others who could aiYord to 
])ay a iiigh price for something good to eat 
on Christmas Day, but as the response was 
not what was anticipated the ca])tain bade the 
hungry and tattered rank and tile to fall ir., 
which they did with good will, and soon dis- 
posed of the dinner. 

After serving through the war Mr. Bovard 
located in Oil Creek, where he worked as a 
clerk in a grocery for a few months. He then 
went into business, purchasing the stock of his 
employer, and forming a copartnership with 
a friend under the firm name of Bovard & Mc- 



Clellan. The firm did a very successful liusi- 
ncss for neai'ly six years, when our subject 
bought his partner's interest, and continued 
the store alone until December, 1871. He 
then removed to Tionesla, where he has since 
been constantly engaged in successful mer- 
chandisintj. In 1890 his store was destroyed 
by fire, and he replaced it with the fine, large 
Iniilding which his Inisiness now occupies. 
His spacious and handsome residence is back 
of the store, standing in a lot reaching from 
street to street, and having a frontage on each 
of three streets. 

Mr. Bo\'ard married Miss Sadie Stewart of 
Butler County, Pa., a daughter of Charles 
Stewart, on June 16, 1869. To them have 
been l)orn three children: Charles S., a phar- 
macist in his father's employ, who resides at 
home; F. J., a practitioner of medicine in 
Tionesta; and Roy, a youth of thirteen years. 
Mr. Bovard and his family are meml)ers of the 
Presbyterian Church. Fraternally, ISIr. Bo- 
vard is an Odd Fellow, and politically he is a 
Democrat, and has served three years as as- 
sessor. The subject of this sketch is a large 
stockholder in the water and natural gas com- 
];anies of Tionesta, and also in the Gravity 
Water \\'orks which furnish an abundant su]j- 
ply of ])ure spring water from the mountain 
l)rooks. 

Dr. Forest Johnson Bovard, son of the sub- 
ject of this rexiew, although young in his pro- 
fessional career, has attained a good practice, 
and the outlook for a successful career in his 
instance is remarkably promising. He was 
born in Tionesta, being the second of three 
sons. He was educated in the Tionesta com- 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



5'Jl 



ir.oii sclidols. prepared for college in tlic liigh 
scliool, and pursued his literary studies in the 
Grove City College. He then took a two- 
years' course in the Pittsburg College of Phar- 
macy, and finished his professional education 
in Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, 
where he graduated in 1897 with the degree of 
M. D. He immediately began the practice of 
medicine and surgery in his home. He is an 
apt and indefatigable student, and is energetic 
and progressive. His career in the profession, 
opened so auspiciously, appears to justify the 
forecast of uncommon success and prosperity. 
In politics Mr. Bovard is a Ivepublican. 



\D 




\9 



HILIP HERTZEL.* This prominent 
and well-to-do agriculturist of Pleas- 
ant townshii), Warren County, who is 
attending closely to -the re(|uirements of his 
fine farm, is considered one of the model farm- 
ers of the Thirty-seventh Judicial District. 
Mr. Hertzel was born in .\lsace, France, in 
December, 1820. He attended sciiool in his 
native place, and accom])anicd liis parents to 
America when about thirteen year> of age, ar- 
riving in New Orleans in 1833, and in 1835 
k)canng in Warren County, Pa., where his 
father purchased the farm now operated and 
owned b\- the subject hereof. 'Sir. Hertzel 
has followed farming since early manhood. 
When the property came into his possession 
he tore down the old dilapidated buildings 
erected by his father many years l)e!ore. wliicli 
had been comfortable dwelling ])laces, but had 
decayed with age. In their place he has 
erected a convenient, modern and attractive 



dwelling, and has also built large and conven- 
ient barns; it is pleasant to note the admirable 
arrangements here made and the air (,f clean- 
liness and order which prevails on this model 
farm. There is no sign of decay, or neglect, 
but everything looks trim, and is well i)re- 
served by care. 'Mr. Hertzel has fine fields in 
a high state of cultivation, and possesses sev- 
eral fine orchards which liear an abundance 
of fruit. He not only attends to the cultiva- 
tion of his farm but also raises stock quite 
extensively, of which he owns some of tlie 
best in his section. 

He is a son of Christian and Sail}' Hertzel. 
The grandfather of our subject was a native 
of Switzerland, where he received his primary 
education. When he had attained the age of 
thirteen years he removed with his parents to 
Alsace, France. .After concluding his studies 
there he occupied himself in farming; he mar- 
ried and settled down, becoming a permaner.t 
resident of Alsace. He and his good wife 
were the parents of five children, the names 
of only two of whom are known. Christian 
(father of Philip), and his brother, John. 

Christian Hertzel first saw the light of day 
in the year 1788 in .\lsace, France, .\fter 
receiving his schooling there he spent some 
years in learning the trade of caltinet-making. 
furniture-making and wood turning. Chris- 
tian himself was ne\er drafted, but his rela- 
tives took an acli\e part in the Franco-Cer- 
man ^^'ar. His wife Sally was also a native 
of Alsace. Christian followed his trade in 
the Old Country until the year 1833. when he 
left Havre, France, and came to the United 
States, landing at New Orleans. However, 



692 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



he did not remain tliere long, but traveled 
by way of the Mississippi ami Ohio rivers till 
he reached Pittsburg, Pa., thence via the Allc- 
glieny River to Warren, Pa., where he ar- 
rived in 1835. In Warren County he pur- 
chased the farm wliich is now owned by Pliili]) 
Ilertzel. lie set to work with a will to hew 
himself a home out of the forest, and to pre- 
pare the virgin soil fc^r the j)Iow and the sub- 
sc(|ucnt cro]>s. lie succeeded admiral)ly in 
this task, and lived to a good old age to see 
his farm increase in i)roductiveness, and the 
siuToimding country develop from the unin- 
habited forest to well-tilled farms and com- 
fortable abodes. He also built a substantial 
and convenient dwelling house for the occu- 
pancy of his family. He was a man of strict 
integrity and intense religious zeal — being a 
pioneer Lutheran in that section of the coun- 
try. He crossed the dark river in February, 
1841, his companion sur\-i\ing him twelve 
years, and rejoining him in 1853. They 
reared a family of children as follows: 
George, born in 1S18; Jacob, born 1819; Phil- 
ip, born i8_'o; Martin, born 1822; Andrew, 
and Mary (Stenger). 

Philip Hertzel chose for his life companion 
P)arbara Eichler, his marriage with whom was 
consunnnatcd in 1853, and nine children came 
to bless their home; Louisa (Schimmelfeng) ; 
Ella (Denn); Jennie; Frank; Charles; Lena, 
Orrie; Harvey A.; and Lily. Barbara, wife 
of the subject hereof, is a daughter of IMichrel 
Eichler, who was a well-known resident of Al- 
sace, being proprietor of a large milling busi- 
ness there. Barbara's mother was the daugh- 
ter of Magdalena and Sebastian Schaefer. 



They reared four children: Magdalena; Bar- 
bara; Mary, and Martin. Barbara was born 
March 9, 1829, and attended school in Alsace, 
her native place. In 1852 she came to Amer- 
ica on a visit, when .she met Philip Flertzel, 
and was wooed by him, their marriage occur- 
ring the following year, in 1853. 

Politically, our subject is, and has always 
been a Democrat, taking quite a prominent 
part in township affairs. He has served as 
school director for nine years, and as town- 
ship commissioner for ten \-ears. Like his 
parents he belongs to the Lutheran Church, 
but is a general supporter of all denomina- 
tions. 



fUDGE ANDREW JACKSON Mc- 
CRAY.* No man in Forest County is 
better known than the subject of this 
sketch. He is a man whose life's experience 
is a shining example of what ma_\' be accom- 
plished by persistent effort when the outlook 
is gloomy and forbidding. For with a will 
power and perseverance that attracts the ad- 
miration of all, he has fought his way gradu- 
ally to the front, until to-day he holds one 
of the most responsible positions in Forest 
County. Peimsyhania. Being a man of strong 
characteristics, with most decided views. 
Judge McCray is a man whom it is a real 
pleasure to meet as he is most courteous and 
obliging and good natured. He was born ai 
Titusville, Crawford County, Pa., April 24, 
1830. He is a son of George, Jr., and Sarah 
(McCray) McCray, and grandson of George 
:\IcCray, Sr. 

George McCrav, Sr., was a nati\'e of the 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



593 



north of Ireland, whence he came to America, 
settling- two miles from Titusville, Pennsyl- 
vania. There he jMnxhased a tract of land, 
and from a perfect wilderness cleared a fine 
farm, and became a peaceful tiller of the soil. 
He died in 1851, npon a portion of this farm, 
which had previously heen purchased by 
George McCray, Jr. In his political convic- 
tions, he was a believer in the JelTersonian 
principles of Democracy. 

George McCray, Jr.. first saw the light cf 
da\- on his father's farm near Titus\-illc. Dur- 
ing his youth he remained at home and re- 
ceived a common school education. When 
manhood's state was reached, he purchased 
two farms of too acres each, one of which was 
a portion of the homestead tract. But farm- 
ing w'as not his chosen calling, and leaving 
that to the management of others, he followed 
luml)cring, but always as a jol)ber. He was 
also a pilot on the Allegheny River, being 
considered by many to be the most expert 
pilot in that section. In politics he was a 
Democrat up to Lincoln's time, when he 
changed his \'iews and died a strong Repub- 
lican, having iield many township offices. His 
marriage with Sarah McCray resulted in the 
birth of eleven children, naniclv: Andrew 
Jackson, subject of this sketch; Martha, wife 
of John Scott, residing near Elmira, N. Y. ; 
Mary \\'., widow of Miles Fulton, — she resides 
with our subject: Rebecca, wife of Charles 
W'lialey of (uMud \'alley, \\"arr'en Count v. 
Pa.; Elizabeth, a maiden lady who also resides 
in Grand Valley; Nancy Jane, wife of Thom- 
as Houge, living near McCray, Pa.; Deborah, 
whowastwice married, — her first husl)and was 



a Mr. Hill (she is now the wife of John Young 
of Gray Valley, Warren County, Pa.); 
Melissa, wife of Daniel D. Green of Grandinn. 
Mo.; John W., of Ih-adford, I'a.; Leman of 
Forest County, l\a.; and one more who died 
in infancy. Our subject's father died in 1864, 
aged fifty-four years; his mother survived her 
husband twenty-two years, lier death occur- 
ring in 1S86, at the age of seventy-five years. 
She was a most devout Christian, and each of 
her seven daughters was given a name sclecte.l 
from the Holy ihble. 

Judge McCray, the eldest of the family, re- 
mained at home attending school until he at- 
tained the age of seventeen years. Then as 
was the custom in those early days, he started 
out to make his own way in life. His first em- 
ployers were Brewer, \\'atson & Co., of Titus- 
ville, Pa., with whom he remained for seven 
years, working most of the time in the mil! as 
a sawyer. During that ])eriod he saved con- 
siderable money, with which he purchased 
400 acres of land around and near East Titus- 
ville. After renting a small saw mill, he began 
cutting and sawing the timber from his laud, 
and shipping his products down the river to 
the Pittsburg markets. He was engaged in 
tb.is line until 1862. and made considerable 
money in it. 

In i8f)_', oil was iliscovered on his lan^l 
and he was enabled to sell the ])ropcr<\- at a 
handsome ad\ance on the price ]i;iid. .Vficr 
selling, he went to Garlauil, Pa., jnu-chased 
JOG acres cf timber land and erected two saw- 
mills, one operated by water power and one 
by steam, the former of which was afterwards 
destroyed by lire. Here Judge McCray re- 



594 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



niaiiK'il for twi) years, actively cnyas^cd in cut- 
tins; and sawing his tinil)er, for which he ob- 
tained a good price. At the close of that time 
he sold out. In the meantime he had been 
dealing to some extent in oil, and after sell- 
ing his lumbering interests, he was engaged 
in the oil business for tln-ee years. In 1880 
Judge McCray went to Forest County ami 
again busied himself in hunbering. In com- 
])any with Frank Williams, he owned and 
operated a saw mill near Marienville for a 
])eriod of four years, when he again returned 
to Titusvilie, a well-to-do man. 

This was in 1884, when the oil excitement 
was sweei)ing the country. The sul)ject of 
this sketch went into the F.xchange, and for 
two years was a jiower in the oil market. But 
in 1886 he "bucked the tiger" once too often, 
and lost his last dollar. Here he was at the 
age of fifty-si.x, without a dollar in the worlci, 
but although discouraged, he did not give up. 
His motto was "Never say die," and during 
the same year he again returned to I'"orest 
Count \'. He soon found eni])loyment with 
W . 11. I'rost of I'igeon, as lumber in^pector, 
remaining one year. The following spring 'le 
was offered the superintendency of the Baker- 
llannuond Lumber Conip.any. which is now 
c.-illed the 1 l.iimnond-Crosby Lumber Com- 
p.iny. This was in 1887, and oiu" subject has 
reniaine(| there e\'er since. This is one of the 
most t'xtensi\e plants in that section, ;md the 
members of the tn'm lea\e e\er_\thing to their 
sui)crintemlent, including the sale of lumber. 
In 1861 Judge McCray built the McCray 
House at Titusvilie, and conducted a hotel for 
ti\e years, in 1884 Judge McCray was united 



in marriage with Isabelle l'>r\an, nee McCnl- 
len of Titusvilie. 

In 1896 the subject herecjf was elected by 
the ivepnblicans, of whose ])arty he is a strong 
snp])orter, one of the associate judges of Ft)r- 
est County. This is his lirst office, as never 
before could his friends prevail upon hini to 
accept public honors, as lie preferred working 
hard for the success of others. Judge McCray 
stands deservedly high in his community, and 
is exceedingly popular; it was in honor of him 
that both McCrav station and postoftice were 
named. 




OBFRT L. DUNHAM.* Warren 
County, situated as it is in the north- 
western part of Pennsylvania, has 
more natural resources than many larger 
counties in the state. Besides the many hun- 
dreds of petroleum wells within its borders, 
ii; contains tnany fertile valleys along the 
course of the Alleghen\- and other rivers. It 
also boasts of many thun'ishing little t(.)wns 
and boroughs, each of which possesses some 
little historic .spot famous in the early history 
of the state. Prominent among these are the 
grand old mansions which dot the surface here 
and there, and add much to the beauty of the 
scene. Situated on one of the highest eleva- 
tions in Conewango township stands one of 
these handsome old landmarks, known as 
] )unham Corners, it h;is been standing since 
1848, and is situated in that part of the county 
known as Yankerbush. The old homestead is 
standing in a delightful spot, surrounded by 
what is i)rubal)ly the richest farming land in 



THIRTV-SEX'ENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



595 



the whole county. Swept l>y tlie cool 1)reeze 

from the iiKiuntains, which aijpcar heautiful 
anil tciuiTinj;- in the distance, its oU-\'alion 
connnanils a view that is simply _L;"ran(l. Uol)- 
ert Dnnhani, the distinguished gentleman 
whdse name heads this sketch, is the owner 
of this vast estate, his heritage from his father. 
lie is proud of such a hirthplace, huilt hy his 
honored father, and has lived there many 
\ears. c.\tensi\'ely engaged in farming and 
hnnhering. 

Rohert T^. Dunham w.'ishorn in Conewango 
township, Warren County, Pa., July 14, 1861, 
and is a son of James Dunham, a prosperous 
f.'irmer and mine ojierator of the same town- 
shi]). His father and grantlfather were also 
natives of Conewango townshi]). h'or further 
information concerning his ancestry, please 
refer to the sketch of Henry N. Lesser, puh- 
hshed elsewhere in this volume. Rohert re- 
ceived his primary education in district and 
Warren schools, after which he took a thor- 
ough course at Jamestown, Chautauqua 
County, X. Y., which contains a popidation 
of more than 16,000 and is especially noted 
as the center of the Chautaucjua svstem of ed- 
ucation. This plan of ])opular education is 
now very generally known, hut hy many only 
vaguely understood. Its fundamental prin- 
ciple is that the higher education should he 
extended to all, yotmg anil old, rich and poor, 
ruid that this education, hest hegun in acad- 
emy, college, or university, should not he 
confined to vouth, hut should continue 
through the whole of life. Its methods, while 
they do not take the place of college training, 
serve to stimulate personal development 



among amhitious people, who are denied col- 
lege opportunities, and to encourage hahits 
of systematic reading and studying among all 
classes. 

After leaving school he was engaged in the 
Ijiundry husiness for a few years, 1)ut suhsc- 
ipiently returned to the old homestead, and 
has since heen employed in farming and Inm 
hering, and heautifying his estate. While in 
Jamestown he fell a victim to Cujjid's darts, 
and hecanie enamored with Ruth M;u'sh. a 
druighter of .Ml)crt M.irsh, an inlluential citi- 
zen of Jaiuestown. Ruth, hesides heing tal- 
ented and accomplished, was one of the most 
popular voung ladies of that heautiful city. 
.She is one of Fortune's favorites, heing horn 
in one of the most fashionable parts of the city 
(corner of Plarper and Lakeview avenues). 
She is a woman of great sweetness of char- 
acter and is amiahle and hospitahle to a 
marked degree. Her marriage with Rohert 
L. Dunham was consummated on Christmas 
Day, 1882. 

Her grandfather, Joseph Marsh, was a 
tradesman, hut of his family connection the 
greater numher were professional men. There 
is indisputahle ])roof that he was a direct 
descendant of Benjamin h'ranklin, more fa- 
miliarly known as "Poor Richard." His re- 
lationship to ex-President Garlield is also 
traced, hut in another line. .Mhei't Mar^h. his 
son and Ruth's father, was horn in Busti, 
Chautauipia County. X. \'.. and was edu- 
cated in one of the very tine schot)ls of James- 
town. X. ^'.. and ever afterw.ard made his 
home in that city. When still a young man, 
he started a laundrv there, and later increased 



596 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



its patronage and capacity until lie at last 
owned the leadini,^ laundry cstahlisluncnt of 
the city. His !aini<lry was considered not only 
the best in its work, hut was deemed the best- 
equipped plant of the kind in that section of 
the state. Mr. Mafsh was a slirewd. careful 
and very successful business man ; he is recog- 
nized as honorable in every respect and is 
greatly esteemed in his comnuuiity. lie is 
now retired from active business pursuits, and 
is reaping the reward of a life of toil. Alonzo 
Marsh, his brother, was at one time a noted 
judge of the L'nited States District Court. 

'Slv. Dunham and his amiable wife are 
blessed with an interesting family of seven 
children: Lloyd; Orlo; Pearl; Cora B.; Bur- 
dette; Richard; and Mildred. The five older 
ones are diligently attending school. Burdette, 
the youngest one at school, is a very pre- 
cocious boy. AltJiough only fourteen years 
of age, he gives promise of being an extra- 
ordinary man. He has always stood at the 
h.ead of his class and seems destined for great 
things. Robert L. Dunham has a l)rother, 
R. E. Dunham, lietter known as the "lirilliant 
Yale graduate," and a fa\drite nephew 
named Frank J. Brown. 

Robert L. Diuiham is an enterprising, ui)-tn- 
date farmer. He is a Republican. Although 
he has never sought the cares of office, he is 
an ag.gressive but decidedly unselfish factor 
in local politics, and dearly ]o\ es an argument. 
.\t the present time be is heartily in favor of 
an understanding with ( Ireat Britain on 
mooted questions, but is o])posed to an im- 
mediate alliance, jireferring to wait and see 
what time will bring forth. If. later on, facts 



and conditions should make such a step ad- 
visable, there is anqile time then, he thinks, to 
eiUer into a treaty. 




ILLIAM WH.VX* is not only 
looked upon as a rising young busi- 
ness man of Warren County, but his 
experience indicates what may be accom- 
plished by persevering effort, and "stick-to-it- 
iveness." At an early period of his life, he 
in connection with his father and younger 
brother, went to Cherry Grove, Warren Coun- 
ty, Pa., where they began drilling for oil. His 
father and brothers soon became discouraged, 
however, and abandoned the field. Nothing- 
daunted, \\'illiam remained, having confidence 
in his ability to make a good strike sooner or 
later. He steadfastly adhered to his purpose 
after ha\ing lost every cent of his money in 
the venture. He kept on from sheer despera- 
tion, until finally, in 1898, his efforts were 
crowned with success, and he struck paying 
wells. ^Ir. Whan now controls 350 acres of 
the richest oil lands in Warren County. The 
wells now in successful o]5eration under his 
cfiicieiit management, yield 150 barrels of oil 
per da_\-. William Whan was Ijorn. reared .and 
educated in Butler County, Pennsylvania. He 
first saw the light of day October 15, 1871. 
I lis father is also an oil producer, and both his 
parents were natives of \'enango Comity, 
Penns\l\ania. They reared the following 
family of six sons and one daughter: Williaiii. 
subject of this sketch; Smith; Frank; Nellie; 
George; Walter, and James. 

W illiam Whan, after making such a rich 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



597 



strike, concluded lie could afford a partner fo 
assist him in takini;- care of his money as it 
came roHinj;' in. Ihis business partnership 
was consummated with Miss Caroline Brooks, 
a tlaughter of ("apt. (jeorge Brooks, of De- 
troit, Michigan, and was sealed with a mar- 
riage cereuKiny which occurred December 
28, 1898. ^Irs. Whan was born in Detroit, 
Michigan, September 29, 1873, and was ed- 
ucated in the public schools of that city. Her 
family are members, and liberal supporters, 
of the Episcopalian Church. 

Mr. \\han is a pleasant, agreeable gentle- 
man, and a popular man in his locality. He is 
\ery well satisfied with the result of his ven- 
ture, while his friends concede that his success 
is something wonderful. We predict for him 
and his lovely bride a brilliant future. Anyone 
with Mr. W'han's ])ush and energy, together 
with such sturd}- self-reliance, shrewd busi- 
ness instinct, and ability to overcome difficul- 
ties, is bound to succeed,' Mr. W^han is a 
Democrat, but has no aspirations for office. 




E. DANIELS,* an extensive lumber- 
man of Corydon, Warren County, Pa., 

li;is been ,'i resident nf that place since 
189O. when he rented ])nwer in the mill of 

.Marsh & , bought new m;ichinery, and 

began tlie manufacture of shingles, making 
as high as 20,000 ])er day. and shipping them 
to various points, besides enjoying a splendid 
local trade. Our subject was born in Rich- 
mond, Crawford County, Pa., in 1862, and is 
a son of John and Mary (Williams) Daniels. 
John Daniels was a native of Clarion Coun- 



ty, Pa., where his birth occurred in 1827, and 
where he received his early mental training. 
After working in the lumber business for some 
time, he started a mill on Clarion River, oper- 
ated by water-power. There he mamifactured 
lumber of all kinds, and after continuing for a 
few years, he moved to Crawford County, and 
there constructed a mill similar to the one 
which he had previously operated. At the 
termination of his business dealings there, for 
some time he conducted a like enterprise in 
Richmond township until 1875, when his 
death occurred at the age of forty-eight years. 
He was joined in w edlock w ith Alary W^illiams, 
w ho w as also a native of Clarion County. Tiiis 
worthy couple reared the following seven chil- 
dren: Eliza, who is still single; Gilbert M., a 
lumberman; James E.; .Mbert E. ; C. E., sub- 
ject of this sketch; Nanny, who died in in- 
fancy, and r)ert G. 

John D.'iniels was a Repuldican voter, but 
never sought ])olitical distinction, and 
could never l)e prevailed upon to accept office. 
He was a good Christian man, and for mruiv 
years prior to his death was a memijcr of '.he 
Methodist Church. 

C. E. Daniels obtaineii the iiulinieiUs of an 
education in the district schools of Crawft)rd 
County, but upon the death of his father, l;e 
was taken from school at the age of thirteen 
years, and obliged to help in supporting his 
widowed mother. For a short time he found 
employment in a saw mill, but subscfpienth- 
entered the employ of his brother, who had re- 
cently commenced the manufacture of lum- 
ber in a mill located on Wood Cock Creek, 
There the brothers manufactured roucrh lum- 



598 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



l)cr, which owing to the lack of railroads had 
to he hauled to Meadvillc. ;i distance of eight- 
een miles, where it was then sold to ])laning 
mills. The suhject of this sketch work'cd for 
his brother for three years, after which he wis 
em|)loyed hy different parties, among them 
lieing C'. II. W'haley of I'^ldrcd township, War- 
ren County. I'a.. foi- whom he worked as a 
fireman. Later, he sawed shingles for Mr. 
W'haley, remaining in his service for five years. 
In 1885, Mr. Daniels started into business for 
himself at Garland, Pa., where he started a 
shingle mill operated In' steam, and conduct- 
ed it \ery successfully for two years. Ide then 
mo\ed his mill between (Irand \^alle}' and 
Tidioute. and carried on a similar business for 
two and a half years. He then put a mill on 
the Rrunet & Wilbur tract, and took a special 
contract of sawing shingles l)v the thousand. 
After eight months' work there, he sold out to 
his brother Bert G. Mr. Daniels then opened 
a machine shop in Tidioute, which he con- 
ducted successfully for about a year and sold 
it, too, returning to his former business. After 
putting in a dcjul)le shingle mill on the tract 
of W. S. \\ eed & Co.. he finished working ni) 
all the available timber on the tract, ami re- 
moved to his present location in Corydon. 

Estelle Grey, an affable and entertaining 
lady, became the wife of I\Ir. Daniels and has 
borne him one daughter and one son. Their 
names are: Mary, who was born in 1891, and 
is now a student; and lilair, who was born in 
1896. Mrs. Daniels is a native of Crawford 
County, Pa., but received her scholastic train- 
ing in Grand Valley. I'joth IVIr. and Mrs. 
Daniels are willing workers in the Methodist 



Church and are responsive to charitable ap- 
peals. 

Mr. Daniels is a member of Corydon Lodge 
No. 1062, I. C). O. F. He is an energetic, en- 
terprising citizen of great popularity, and has 
risen to a position of prominence as a suc- 
cessful business man, besides having assisted 
very materially in develoi)ing the natural re- 
sources of the county. 



[RAM SIMPSON,* one of North Clar- 

=n endon's standard citizens, is general 
s I 

foreman of the South Penn (Mid- 

Ic-nul Division) Oil Company, of Warren 
County, Pa. He was born in Mercer County, 
Pa., and is a son of Israel and Jane (Smith) 
Simpson. Hiram was reared and educated in 
the schools of Mercer County, after which, 
when grown to manhood, he enlisted in the 
Union Army at the outbreak of the Civil War. 
December 22, 1861, he became a member of 
Company L, Pa. Cavalry. After seeing about 
ten months' service he was honoral)!y dis- 
charged October 9, iSr)2. The most noted 
engagement in which he participated was the 
seven days' battle before Richmond, \'a. Dur- 
ing the latter part of 1862, our subject entered 
the oil fields of Venango County, Pa., and as- 
sisted in putting down the first three wells 
in the suburbs of Franklin, Pa., using steam 
power with copper tubing. After spending 
some time in \^enango County, he was next 
employed in similar work in Butler County 
on the Buchanan farm, and then at Cherry 
Run, during the early excitement there. While 
assisting in drilling wells at those successive 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



599 



places, lie j^ained a practical knowledge of 
such work which has hccn of much service to 
hiui over since. Willi the exception of two 
years spent at farming in Butler Count}', Pa., 
he has followed contracting and drilling wells 
in the oil fields. lie spent li\c years at I'rad- 
ford, I'a., contracting for Bradley Brothers. 
In i8S_' he located at North Clarendon, — 
first as a contractor in the interest of Cornen & 
Bears, subsequently for W'aterhouse & Co. 
Later still he engaged with the firm for w liich 
he is at present general foreman. 

Israel Simpson, father of our subject, was 
horn at X'ewark. New Jersey, and hecanie a 
jjioneer settler of Mercer County. Pa. lie 
located in Alillhrook township, where he en- 
gaged in tilling the soil, — continuing that oc- 
ciqiation through life, in Pennsylvania, Ohio 
and Indiana. Me died at the age of eighty-si.K 
years, and his companion laid down the bur- 
den of life at the age of eighty-three. They 
reared eleven children, seven sons and four 
daughters, who were: JacoliS. ; John; Sarah; 
Henry; Eliza, wife of James Burroughs, of 
North Clarendon; Hiram, the subject hereof; 
Peter; J. Harrison (who. since 1887. has been 
a resident of North Clarendon, where he is 
engaged in oil jnirsuits); Stephen; Satcra 
Ann, and Samantha. 

Hiram Simpson sought and won the heart 
and hand of Margaret \\'alters, an accom- 
plished lady and a daughter of L^a\i<l Walters, 
a resident of Clarion County, Pennsylvania. 
Their union was prolific of the following chil- 
dren: Lewis T., who married Hattie Stephen- 
son and has one daughter, Mabel, — Mr. Simp- 
son's career is recorded later in this sketch; 



Rol)ert A. (concerning whom mention is 
made below) married Maud Drake; and Hat- 
tie, wife of Lewis Lessick of Stringtown, \'a., 
and mother of one son, Willis W. 

Lewis T. and Robert A. Simpson compose 
the well known linn of Simpson Bros., who 
conduct an up-to-date drug store on Main 
street. The Messrs. Simpson purchased the 
business several years ago from A. W. 
Story, who had erected the building and estab- 
lished the store a long time Ijefore, and who is 
now^ in Meadville. Their parents had long 
lived in this section, and Lewis T. had resided 
in Clarendon for a numlier of years, while his 
brother, Robert .\., who had been sojourning 
in the West, came back from Illinois at the 
time the purchase was made. 

It is a first class drug store in everv respect, 
carrying an extensi\e stock of the inirest 
drugs, medicines and chemicals, besides a fine 
line of handsome toilet articles, fancy goods, 
cigars, etc. The prescription department is 
conducted with the greatest care, being under 
the direct charge of Robert .\., who is a grad- 
uate of the Ohio College of Pharmacy, and is 
registered by examination in the states of 
Pennsylvania, Ohio and lUiiKiis. Mr. Simp- 
son resides over the store and can l)e called 
at any hour of the day or night. Accuracy 
and care in the compounding of prescriptions 
are the most essential features in the drug bus- 
iness, for on them may depend the safety of 
human life. That Mr. Simpson is perfectly 
(|ualified in this respect may be known from 
the number of critical and exacting examina- 
tions he has successfully passed, as well as 
from the experience he has had in the business. 



600 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



Both lie and his brotlicr are held in the high- 
est esteem by the public and rank among Clar- 
endon's most rc])utable citizens. Lewis 
T. Simpson is a nicnilitr of the borough coun- 
cil, and is affiliated willi the Odd Fellows and 
Koval Arcanum, and bis brother Robert A. 
is likewise a member of the Odd Fellows. 
Their store is a popular trailing place for the 
l)eople of the vicinity, and patrons are accord- 
ed the most courteous treatment, and guar- 
anteed perfect safety in getting prescriptions 
filled. This feature of the Simpson Bros, store 
cannot be conmiented on too highly. 

Our subject is a stanch Re])ublican and has 
ser\-ed as assistant burgess, member of the city 
council, and as a member of the school Ijoanl. 
He is past commander of the Royal Arcanum, 
past connnander of the Hugh McNeil Post of 
North Clarendon, and is now a member of the 
(i. A. R. Post of Warren. He is a man of 
broad ideas, who is thoroughly informed on 
all ])oints coming within the range of his busi- 
ness. He is a \alne(l member of the M. E. 
Church, of which he is a trustee. 




1LT( )\ r.RL'Nl^R,''^ station agent of 
the W. X. V. & P. R. R. at West 
Hickory, T'cnnsylvania, has been 
at his post most faitlifull\- for the past fifteen 
years. He was born at Limerick Scpiare, 
Montgomery County, 1'a., is a son of Joshua 
and Elizabeth ((lilbert) Briiner, and grandson 
of John Bruner. ( )ur subject attended school 
until eighteen years old, receiving a fair, com- 
mon school education. After leaving school 
he worked at home in his fatherls mill until 



1883, when he came to West Hickory and en- 
gaged as clerk at the depot, serving in that 
capacitv until 1891, at which time he was pro- 
moted to the i)osition of station agent, and 
during the se\en years of his e.Kperience as 
ticket dispenser at West Hickory, he has 
served the interests of his employers to their 
entire satisfaction. 

Joshua Bruner, father of our subject, was 
born about 1822, and when a young man of 
twenty-two wooed and wedded Elizabeth (lil- 
bert of Limerick Square. This estimable lady 
has added a good wife's share to her hus- 
band's prosperity liy her wise counsel and 
good judgment in matters pertaining to the 
events which have led to the success of his 
business enterprises. After his marriage, Mr. 
Bruner settled on his farm in Crawford Couii- 
t_\', Pennsylvania, which he greatly improved. 
In addition to his agricultural pursuits, he be- 
came interested in the lumber business antl 
built a saw mill, which he operates with .suc- 
cess. He is still active and energetic, and 
works on his farm and in his mill, with a vigor 
befitting a man many years younger than him- 
self. Fie and his faithful wife reared a large 
family of children, who were: William, Mil- 
ton, Emma, Franklin, I\Iar\-, Anna, Charles, 
Sarah and John B. William is an account- 
ant ami bookkeei^or who resides i:i New 
York, and has one son living. Milton is the 
subject of this sketch. Emma died in early 
womanhood. Franklin died at the age of four 
years. Mary is the wife of Joseph Atwood, 
now living at Portage, Laprairie County, in 
the Province of Quebec, British America ; they 
have a family of seven children. Anna 



THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



601 



iiiarrifi! Arlluir NW'sts^atc of Riccvillc, Craw- 
ford Couiity, rcnnsyhania : tliey have one 
son and four daui;lilcrs. Cliarles now resides 
in Colorado, is a niill-wright \>y occupation, 
and unmarried. Sarah is a professional nurse 
in a hospital in I'.uffalo. New York; she is 
gentle and loving in her dis])osition. and is 
well adapted to this sacred calling. John B. 
ii at home with his parents, and is still un- 
married. 

John iJruner. our subject's grandfather, was 
a native of Berks County, Pennsylvania, and 
reared a family of five children who were at- 
tendants of the district schools of Berks Coun- 
ty, and became prominent and influential in 
business and social circles. His two sons. 
Joshua and Mahlon, were active and success- 
ful in the professions they chose for their life 
work. Joshua, the eldest son. and the father 
of Milton, has received mention in the first 
])art of this life-review. Mahlon was a den- 
tist of considerable prominence, and practiced 
b.is profession in Limerick Scpiare. Montgom- 
ery County, where he died in 1894. leaving 
a wife, son and daughter. Two oi the three 
daughters of Grandfather Bruner are now liv- 
ing in New York; the other is a resident of 
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. 

In 1876 Milton Bruner was united in mar- 
riage with Miss .\deline Bardsley of Lapeer. 
Michigan. They have two children, — one is 
Henry B., a bright young man who is em- 
ployed as telegraph operator at the West 
Hickory depot, and has a wife and one son; 
the other is Bernice, a miss of seventeen years, 
now attending school and preparing her edu- 
cation, yh: Bruner is a member of the 



Knights of Honor. In general elections he 
casts his vote with the Democratic party, but 
is more interested in the sale of passenger 
tickets, and the general business of the rail-' 
road company with the public, than he is in 
the success of the wily offlce seeker — a fact 
which his employers note with pleasure and 
satisfaction. 

!>;. JAMI^.S R. DURHAM.* a rising 
ic) J i)liysician of Warren, Pa., although 
yet a young man, has made ra])id pro- 
gress in his profession and has a large prac- 
tice. He is a son of John and Eliza (Collier) 
Durham, and was Ijorn in Oueenstown, Can- 
ada, Afarch 13. 1871. 

The great-great-grandfather of our subject 
was James Durham, who was a native of 
England, and, having obtained a King's grant 
to 200 acres of land near Queenstown, Can- 
ada, took possession of it and remained there- 
on up to the time of his death. The grand- 
father of our subject, also named James Dur- 
ham, was born on the old homestead at 
Oueenstown, and followed farming until he 
passed awa\- at the age of seventy-five years, 
lie left five children — John, James, Maria 
Jane, Margaret and Catharine. 

John Durham, father of the subject of this 
sketch, was born on the homestead at Oueens- 
town, in 1833. He was subsequently a mer- 
chant in the city of St. Catharines, Ont., where 
he married, and where he died in 1875. a: the 
age of 42 years. His wife, Eliza Collier, was 
born in St. Catharines January- 4, 1841. The 
couple had two sons, James R., to whom this 
narrati\e pertains, and John H. C. Durham, 



602 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



born April 23, 1869, in St. Catharines, who 
married Anna Mitcliell, and is now a resident 
of Toronto, where ho is prominently con- 
nected with the Mercliants' Fire Insurance 
Co., of that city. 

The subject of this sketch attended the pub- 
lic schools in St. Catharines until he was 
twelve years old, and ready to enter an aca- 
demy. His school career was interrupted, 
however, and he entered the office of Messrs. 
Watson, Thome & Smillie, barristers and 
solicitors, in Toronto. Two years later he 
took a position as clerk for Mr. Smillie, who 
opened an office for himself. He remained 
with the Ijarrister for one year, during which 
he devoted himself to the study of law, and 
reading on a variety of subjects, for which 
the ample library of his employer afforded 
abundant opportunity. At the age of fifteen 
years James R. entered the principal office 
of the Great Northwestern Telegraph Com- 
pany as an assistant bookkeeper, remaining 
there for two years, during wliich he also 
learned to telegraph. It was while keeping 
books and also perfecting himself as a tele- 
graph operator, that he decided to study med- 
icine. He took an academical course, and in 
1890 matriculated as a student in the medical 
department of Trinity University in Toronto, 
from which he was graduated in April, 1895. 
He also pursued a special course of study at 
the University and the School of Science, 
graduating from Trinity in July, 1896, witli 
the degrees of M. D., and C. M. He also re- 
ceived the degree of Fellow of Trinity Med- 
ical College. 

In I\lay, 1895. Dr. ])urhani located in Kiii- 



zua, Warren County, Pa., and after practicing 
his profession for six months, he contracted 
diphtheria and suffered a long illness. On his 
recovery he removed to \\'arren. Pa., takin;;; 
the practice of Dr. W. M. Robertson, who re- 
linquished it to go to London, Eng., in order 
10 follow a special course of study. Dr. Dur- 
ham has since been in practice in the town 
which be then made his home. He is secre- 
tary of the Warren County Medical Society; 
he is medical examiner ior the Mutual Fife 
Insurance Co., of New York, also for the S. 
F. I. Lodge of Woodmen of the World. Dr. 
Durham is a member of the First Presbyterian 
Church. 



KTHCR P. UTTFR.* the efficient 
manager of the Glade Run Tannery at 
Warren, \\'arren County, Pa., has 
been connected with different tanneries ever 
since he was a youth. He was born in Greene 
County, N. Y., May 18, 1849. When six 
years of age, his parents removed to Sullivan 
County. There Arthur received his education, 
studiously attending to his books until nine- 
teen vcars of age. when he 1>egan to learn the 
tannery business with bis father. Fle took 
up the trade at its \ery beginning and per- 
severed step by step until he learned every 
thing connected with it. He worked as an 
apprentice until twenty-one years old, — at that 
time taking full charge of the management of 
his father's taimerv, which occupied his time 
for nine or ten years. Tiiinking he could do 
better elsewhere, he left home, going to New 
York, where be became manager of the tan- 




THIRTY-SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



nery owned l>y Hoyt I'mtlicrs. After man- 
aging' llic'ii" business for tlnxe and one-liaif 
years, lie went to Jefferson County, I'a.. to 
take a similar position willi Messrs. Ilall & 
Vaugiin, tanners of tli;it ])laee. lie continued 
in their employ until 1S93. At th.it time the 
firm wished to ojien a new branch ol their bus- 
iness at Middleburg, Kentnck}', and Mr. Utter 
was sent there for that purpose. Under his 
directions a new tannery was built and Mr. 
Utter .assumed ccMitrol, continuing until i<S95, 
when the Inisine.ss of the hrm was absorbed by 
the United States Leather Com])any. Mr. 
Utter then returned to Warren in October, 
1895, to take charge of th:it company's inter- 
ests at (iiade Run. which lucrative position 
still engages his attention. 

During his many years among tanneries, he 
has ac(|m'red a most thorough knowledge of 
the business, thus becoming one of the most 
capable and efificient managers to be found. 
Pie has endeavored to fulfill the duties of his 
position to the utmost of his ability, and has 
won the confidence and esteem of his employ- 
ers. Arthur P. Utter is a son of Joseph Utter, 
who was born in Rhode Island in 1810, and 
was a member of a family consisting" of five 
sons and two daughters, as follows: Louis; 
Silas; William; Joseph; Caroline; IMary, and 
Harris. 

Josejih Utter was educated in Rhode Island. 
After lea\-ing school he went to Greene Coun- 
ty, N. Y., and connnenced business as a gen- 
eral merchant, contimiing about a year. Later 
he removed to Sullivan Countv, X. Y., and 
started a tannery, with his l)rother-in-law. The 
business was about one of the first of its kind 



started in this country. Mr. Utter continued 
in tliat occupation for a period of thirty years, 
lie then retired from business and went to 
Ithaca. Xew \'ork, to spend his declining 
years. Death came to him at the age of 
eigiity, about eiglit years after his retirement. 
In 1840 he was united in marriage with Cathe- 
rine P^alan, daughter of I'eter Palan, of 
Greene County, New- York. Nine children 
blessed their home: Charles; Helen; Joseph; 
Jemiie; Phoebe; .\rthur P., the subject of this 
sketch; Edward; Charlotte, and Fanny. His 
wife died at Ithaca, New York, aged seventy 
years. 

Arthur P. Utter chose for his wife, Ida 
Ross, the charming daughter of Samuel Ross. 
Although our subject and his wife have not 
been blessed with a family of their own, they 
love children, and their home is frequently the 
scene of merry gatherings of others' children. 
They are both consistent members of the 
Presbyterian Church. Socially, Mr. Utter has 
been a member of the Masonic order for 
more than seventeen years. 




RS. JAMKS M. JACKSOX.* The 
lady whose name heads this sketch 
■was, before her marriage, Mary E. 
Somers, a very successful school teacher for 
several years, in Warren County, Pennsyl- 
\ania. She is a daughter of Langford Somers, 
and was born in Montgomery County, N. Y., 
near the junction of the Mohawk and Hudson 
ri\ers. Mary received her education, a vcrv 
thorough one, in the schools of W'arren Coun- 
tv, whither her father had removed. After 



604 



BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES 



completing her education, she successfully 
passed the examination, and receised a certifi- 
cate which qualified her to teach in Warren 
County. She obtained a position in the 
schools of Corydon, Pa., where her success 
in the profession was marked. Later she be- 
gan teaching in Busti, N. Y.. and continued 
for several years; she was well liked by the 
citizens of that place, and was much beloved 
not only by her pupils, but by James Madison 
Jackson, who sought her hand in marriage. 
She accordingly resigned her position as a 
teacher, and became his wife. 

James Madison Jackson was born in War- 
ren County, Pa., March 5, 1819, and was a son 
of David Jackson, whose life history will ap- 
pear further on. James was a pupil in the 
public schools of Warren until he attained the 
age of seventeen years. Farming at once en- 
gaged his attention, his farm being a rich, 
productive one, on the "flats." He built a 
comfortable residence on his land, planning 
and partly constructing the house. His 
whole after life was spent on this farm, 
lie was of exceptionally strong physique, 
and prior to the sickness resulting in 
his death, he was ill Init once in his 
life, being at that time dangerously af- 
flicted with erysipelas. The celebrated Dr. D. 
V. Stranahan soon rendered him convales- 
cent. Being miusually healthy, he was very 
successful in his business. 1 fe was an upright, 
honorable man and held his word as binding 
as a bond. Just jjrinciples marked all his 
dealings. He was also of a kindly disposition 
and was highly respected. His demise, which 
occurred Jul_\- 10, 1891, caused much sorrow. 



ITe and his estimable \vife were the parents of 
fi\'e children: Lucretia. now deceased; ])a\id 
W.; William: lienry W.; and ^^laud 1!., who 
i)ecame the wife of a Mr. Miller, and is n<iw 
one of the princi])al telegraph operators in 
Washington, District of Columl)ia. 

David Jackson, fatlier of James Madison, 
was one of the very first pilots on the Alle- 
ghcnx- ki\cr, ;ui(] li\ed a somewhat exciting 
and adventurous life. He was a direct de- 
scendant of Daniel Jackson, the first settler in 
Warren County, Pennsylvania. David made 
many perilous tri]is, and being one of the most 
efficient, reliable and capaljle men who ever 
navigated the river, his services were much 
sought. He took many log rafts down to 
Pittsburg, and had fewer mishaps than any 
other pilot. He spent his whole life in pursuit 
of his chosen calling, and was a well-known 
character, being acquainted with everybody 
on the river. 

The grandfather of Mrs. Jackson was a sea- 
man in the United States Navy, and served 
under Admiral Decatur for a time, but was 
transferred to another ship, which was 
wrecked near Malta. He left several interest- 
ting relics, which are scrupulously preserved 
by the family. Langford Somers, father of the 
suliject hereof, was a native of Connecticut, 
whence he moNcd to Xew York, ancl subse- 
quently to Warren County, Pennsylvania, lie 
was a carpenter, and an extraordinarily good 
workman, lie worked on several of the old 
mansions in and around Warren, among them 
the residence of L. S. Moore. He was also 
quite a noted athlete, — among the most re- 



THIRTY-SKVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT 



605 



markable feats performed by him, being that 
of running to and from \vori< eacli day, when 
employed on a Iniilding nine miles awav from 
his home. Later he discontinued the carpen- 
ter work, and devoted his eneri^ies wholly to 



agricultural pursuits for some years, having 
purchased a fine farm of 200 acres. He after- 
ward opened a grocery store in Busti, N. Y., 
and remained in the mercantile business for fif- 
teen vears. 






INDEX. 



Bioovapbical. 



FAOE 

A 

Andrews, Earl R !M 

Arird, Clemans D 1A7 

Ayer, Hartshorn S 89 

B 

Baker, Thomas I. .... 174 

Baker, Dr. Willis M 184 

Ball, David 1 97 

Barnes, Mrs. Eliza J 403 

Heals, Burr Leonard 24.'5 

Bean, Charles C 179 

Beaty, David W 427 

Beaty Orris W 193 

Beck, Fred 575 

Becker, Alphonzo 439 

Becker, Philip 219 

Bines. Thomas H 178 

Black, J. \V 312 

Black, Matthew ,\. ... 164 

Blodgett, Dr. Alanson Clark . 244 

Booth, Henry A 291 

Bordwell, C. T 168 

Boss, Henry 205 

Bovard, GeorKe W .'i89 

Bowman. Thomas J 401 

Bowmsn. William Willis, . 477 

Boyd, Joseph C 216 

Braley, David F 470 

Branch, Hiram Houi^hton . Ill 

Briggs. Arthur R 553 

Brown, George W 220 

Brown, Dr. Otis .S 300 

Bruner, Milton 600 



Bucklin, Cornelius Penn. 
Bucklin, Miss Lura A. 



PAGE 

565 
564 



C 

Cable, John B 288 

Cable, John V 241 

Caldwell, John S 353 

Campbell, George Washington. 135 

Carson, Duran E 574 

Chadwick, Clarence L. . . . 293 

Cheney, Thomas L 531 

Church, Elmer L 325 

Clark, James 151 

Clark, Perry D 212 

Clark, Robert P 580 

Clawson, Charles H. ... 414 

Cobham, Henry 227 

Cole, Nelson G 424 

Collins, T. D 261 

Curtis, Major Elliot M. ... 281 

Curwen.John,M. D 39 

D 

Daniels. C. E 697 

Davis, Alpheus J 305 

Davis, Harry H., .M. D. . . 189 

Dawson, Walter R 308 

Deining, Andrew J 195 

Denniston, Gilbert W. . . . 421 

Dervin, John 194 

Dinsmoor, Charles 107 

Doughty, William John. . . 491 

Dunham. Minor B 45 

Dunham, Richard Monroe. . 380 



FAOE 

Dunham, Robert L 594 

Dunham, Thomas 467 

Dunkle, John W 158 

Durham, Dr. James R, . . 601 

E 



Eden, Morton E. . . 
Eddy, Edgar F. . . 
Eddy, James Hood 
Eisenbrown, Jacob F. 
Elliott, Prof. John W. 
Elliott, Mrs. Julia Ann 
Ellis. Theodore H. 
English, Richard 
Evans, Stephen H. 



Falconer, Nathaniel S. 
Farnsworth, Thomas, Sr. 
Flatt, Dr. Clayton C. 
Francis, Aaron W. 
Franklin, Benjamin 



112 

370 
72 
449 
586 
573 
460 
255 
372 



142 
17 

146 
475 
416 



a 

Gale, Burton L 274 

Gass, Dr. James 488 

Gaul. James E 369 

Geist, JohnC 400 

Gildersleeve, Isaac H. . . . 222 

Gillespie, Robert Z 532 

Gillis, Angus 404 

Gilson, James E 15 

Glenn, D. A 360 



608 



INDEX. 



PAOE 

Goal. John C 28 

Grandin, William J 65 

Gray. John Henry .... 138 

Greaves, William A 328 

Greene. Mrs. Charles 479 
Grettenbergcr, Christopher Fred- 
erick 59 

Grindlay, John G 102 

H 

Hamillon, James C 454 

Hamilton. John W., M.I). . . 504 

Hassinger, Martin Luther . . 352 

Hazeltine, Abram J 55 

Hazeltine, Ezra T 51 

Hazeltine, Dr. William V. . . 36 

Heath, Kory C 394 

Hertzel. Philip 591 

Highhouse, Ernest .... 277 

Hill, Benjamin 443 

Hill, Charles A 283 

Hill. George M 471 

Hill. loseph 267 

Hill, i'erry C ; 285 

Himes. Zephaniah S 417 

Hinckley. W. D 141 

Hodges. William 183 

Horton, Byron Barnes . . . 450 

Hunt, Cyrus V 363 

Hunter, Livingston LeGrand 131 

Huntington, Hon. Henry Clay . 399 



Irvine, (Suy Carlcton . 
Irwin. .Samuel Dale 



Jackson, Byron J. . 
Jackson, Mrs. James M 
Jacobs, Dr. Charles H. 
Jamieson, Hugh A. 
Jarvis, Wellington 
Johnson. George R. 
Johnson, X. Otto 
Jones. Albert Page 
Jones, Warren F. . 



K 

Keeny, Edwin D. . 
Keller, Jacob 
Kemble, Dr. Charles 



554 
603 
332 
75 
455 
297 
396 
204 
318 



359 
521 
199 



PACE 

Kemp, George G 522 

Kerr. Marcius C, M. 1). . . . 587 

Killmer, George H 327 

King, George W 361 

Kinnear, James 335 

Kinnear, W. D 383 

Kippel, Henry M 29 

Kirkpatrick, Charles S. . . . 579 

Knabb, Charles S 271 

Kreitler, Frank X 203 



Lamkin, Mrs. Sarah M. ... 60 

Lawrence, William .... 447 

Lesser, Henry N 466 

Lindsey, Hon. Wilton Monroe . 33 



M 

MacGowan, Prof. W. L. . . 5L'3 

McAlpin, Dr. Amos C. . . . 307 

McCabe, Rev. James A. . . . 249 

McCain, John B 446 

McCall. David M 185 

McChesney, John S 264 

McCray, Judge Andrew Jackson 592 

McKelvey, Alexander H. . . 117 

McKinney, Arthur .... 406 

McLaren, William D. ... 493 

Mainwaring, Morgan .... 292 

Marsh. Alden 563 

Marshall, Robert N 392 

Martin, David M 347 

Martin, Joseph 257 

Mastcrson, John 246 

Maze, Mrs. Mary M 252 

Mead, Ransom G 459 

Merkle, Michael 364 

Miles, Hugh 453 

Miles, Melancthon .... 428 

Miles, Robert 306 

Mitchell, Willis A 343 

Mitchlen. Solomon .... 606 

Mooney. Roger 126 

Moore, Alfred R. . * . . . .437 

Moore, Miss Jessie L. . . . 497 

Morris. Benjamin Franklin . . 215 

Morris, Clinton S 315 

Morris, Edward L 545 

Morrison, Eugene H 549 

Morrison, James Harrison . . 422 

Mowris, Benjamin D. ... 556 

Muir. William \V 167 

Muse, Homer J 582 



PAGE 

N 

Nash, Joseph A 494 

Neill, Alfred D 429 

Neill, .Samuel Tate .... 13 

Neill, William Cunningham . 30 

Nesmith, Alonzo B 83 

Newmaker, J. W 350 

Noyes, Honorable Charles H. 485 

Nutting, William P 344 

O 

Offerlee, Daniel 584 

0'Neil,John 378 

O'Neil, William 550 

Oviatt, S. A 211 

P 

Parker, James C 390 

Paul. Lewis Joseph .... 412 

Pearce. Marion E 481 

Phillis, James 147 

Pratt. Morrell F 349 

Priestley, George C 569 

Price, George W 42 

Proper, John A 309 

Pryor, Dr George Townley . 517 

Putnam, EM 57 

Putnam, Homer M 40 

Putnam, Theodore L. ... 62 



Quinn. Mrs. Elizabeth 



197 



R 

Radcker, Charles Washington 

Reed 27 

Rice, William E 78 

Ritchey, Thomas Franklin . . 525 

Rogers. Burton Waldron . . 559 

Rohrer, Samuel F 338 

Rose, James T 436 

Roy. James 374 

Russell, John C.,M. D. ... 468 

Jlyan, Matthew J 187 



Sandstrom, Hon. John H. 
Schneider, Rev. George W. 
Schuler, Mrs. Mathias 
Schuler, Theodore . . 
Sechriest, John Christian 



173 
514 
272 
311 
367 



Secor, Albert 

Shearer, Joseph .... 

Sheldon. Mason .... 

Shortt, Hon. William Hamilton 

Siegfried, John .M 

Siggins, David H 

Siggins. William Parker 

Sill, George W 

Simpson. Hiram 

Slater, Capt. Thomas O. 

Sliter, Joseph E 

Smith, D. Carlton 

Smith, Ernest X 

Smith, John K 

Sterling, Eri 

Stewart, Ur. Richard B., Jr. 
Stone, Hon. Charles W. 

Storum, Samuel 

Stryker, L. R. . . . . , 

Swain, Philip J 

Sweeting, Jacob 

Sweeting, John 



PAGE 

25 
299 
119 

a89 

206 
155 
321 
209 
598 

70 
498 
500 

77 

49 
476 
14.J 
152 
242 

99 

20 
177 
176 



INDEX. 



Tallman. John R. . 
Tate, William G. . 
Thompson, David S. 
Thompson, Edwin W. 
Tochterman, Frederick C, 
Towler, Hon. Samuel S., M 
Trushel, Phillip J. 



Utter, Arthur P. 



von Zastrow. Hermann 

W 

Wagner, George . . 
Walton, Mrs. Elizabeth. 
Warren Mail, The. 



357 
156 
337 
433 
377 
161 



602 



Waters, Myron. • . . . . 

Waters, Starling W 

Watson. George Frederick. 

Watson, James B 

Wead, Silas S 

Weaver, Charles F 

Weaver, Hon. Zachary T. 

104 i Weiler, John C 

Wetmore, Hon. Lansing D. 

Whan, William 

Wheeler, Nelson P 

Wheelock, Captain DeForest A. 

Wilkins, John W 

Winger, William W. 

Wood, Albert D. .... 

Wood, George W 

Wood. L. B. . . 



528 
411 

482 



609 

PiOE 

23 
287 
385 
329 
266 
319 

18 
285 
109 
596 
537 

81 
341 
584 
123 
48 
465 



Yates, George Fremont. . . 68 
Young, Mrs. Amanda .McKinney. 511 



ortraits 



PAGE 

Beaty, David W 426 

Beaty, Orris W 192 

Ball, David 1 96 

Booth, Henry A 290 

Briggs. Arthur R 552 

Cheney, Thomas L 530 

Church. Elmer L 324 

Clark, James 150 

Cobham. Mrs. Ann Hodges . . 225 

Cobham, Catherine Curry, M. D. 237 
Cobham, Brig.-Gen. George A. . 

Frontispiece 

Cobham, Henry 224 

Cobham, Henry Oldcastle . . 236 

Collins, T. D 260 

Curtis, Major Elliot M. ... 280 

Curwen, John, M. D 38 

Davis, Alpheus J. and Donald D. 

J^IcAlpin 303 

Dennistcin. Gilbert W. ... 420 

Dinsmoor. Charles 106 

Doughty. William John . . . 490 

Dunham, Minor B 44 

English, Richard 254 

Francis. Aaron W 474 

Grandirf, William J 64 

Hazeltine. Abram J rA 

Hill, Benjamin 442 



Hinckley, W.D 

Hodges, William .... 

Hunter. Jahu 

H'unter, Livingston LeGrand 
Huntington, Hon. Henry Clay 
Irwin, Samuel Dale . . . 

Jamieson, Hugh A 

Johnson, George R 

Keller. Jacob 

Kinnear, James 

Kinnear. W. D 

Kirkpatrick. Charles S. . . 
Knabb, Charles S. ... . . 

Kreitler, Frank X 

Lindsey, Hon. Wilton Monroe 
MacGowan. Prof. \V. L. . . 
McCabe, Rev. James A. . . 
McKelvey, Alexander H. . . 

Marsh, Alden 

Martin. David M 

Miles, Hugh 

Miles. Robert ...... 

Moore. John B 

Morris. Benjamin Franklin . 

Morris, Clinton S 

Morris, Edward L 

Morrison, Eugene H. . . . 



P.XGE 

140 
132 
128 
129 
398 
86 
74 
296 
520 
334 



678 
270 
202 
32 
602 
248 
116 
562 
346 
452 
302 
496 
214 
314 
644 
548 



PAGE 

Muir, William W 166 

Neill, Samuel Tate 12 

Xoyes, Honorable Charles H. . 484 

Priestley, George C 568 

Pryor, Dr. George Townley . . 616 

Ritchey, Thomas Franklin . . 624 

Rogers, Burton Waldron ... 558 

Sandstrom. Hon. John H. . . 172 

Sechriest, John Christian ... 366 

Shipman. .Matthew 572 

Shortt, Hon. William Hamilton 388 

Sill. George W 208 

Tallman, John R 356 

Thompson. Edwin W 432 

Tochterman. Frederick C. . . 376 

Towler, Hon. Samuel S., M. D. . 160 

Trunkey. William G 458 

Walton, Mrs. Elizabeth ... 409 

Walton, John .408 

Waters, Myron 22 

Wheeler, Nelson P 536 

Wheelock, Captain DeForest A. 80 

Wilkins, John W 340 

Wood. Albert D 122 

Wood, L. B 464 

Young. Mrs. Amanda McKinney 509 

Young, Oliver 508 



